A Winning Effort for Dev Patel

Rating: 6/10 (7 November 2016)

Dev Patel saves this film which would otherwise be a bit of a muddle. There are many winning qualities - the beautiful cinematography, the apparently accurate but still sympathetic portrayal of the Indian condition, the sweeping feel of the narrative itself, and most especially the winning portrayal of young Saroo as a 5-year-old. But without Patel these qualities would not be enough. Realizing that this is an Australian film (Australian story-telling techniques often utilize different formats than American), the loose ends are still distracting. Characters and details are presented and then dropped without regard to continuity. Continuing characters go through changes that are not even hinted before they are portrayed. The screenplay is based on a memoir by Patel's character; the book itself is often described as a novel. So we are left to question just how much was truly remembered and how much was supplemented. (Patel's alter ego did not write screenplay.) No matter. Patel hurtles through all of this and makes it work. Now he needs to start finding some non-ethnic roles; he certainly has the chops.