Review - Lion

Lion is another true story that's been nominated for loads of Oscars alongside about half of the other contenders (Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Jackie) and while it doesn't quite have the same effect on me as the films there that I've seen, it's still a worthwhile watch. It's the story of a young boy who, while out with his brother one day, gets separated from him and ends up on a train to Calcutta. Eventually he is adopted by an Australian family and spends his teenage years with them. Eventually however, he decides he wants to return back home but due to his young age when he left, he is unable to remember where he came from so he turns to Google Earth. Credit to the film, it makes that plot and the scenes of browsing Google Earth really interesting. It isn't all perfect, there's a bit of flab in the story and could do with a bit more editing but the transference of this story onto the big screen was done really well.

Acting, as with many of the films of late, is probably where the film is at its strongest. Dev Patel is the guy on the poster and although he plays the main character, he isn't actually in the film until halfway through. That said, when he is in it, he's great and adds new dimensions to the character than those we saw in the past. Rooney Mara plays the girlfriend in the modern half of the film and is also great (as in anything that isn't Pan) but highly underused. I understand that the story isn't about her but the scenes she's in are some of the sweetest of the entire film. Bridging the gap between the two sections of the film is Nicole Kidman, giving a rare performance in her native accent. While I was initially not a fan of her character, she grew on me when I began to understand her motivations and she had an incredibly powerful scene near the end. For me though, there is one undeniable stand out and that is Sunny Pawar as young Saroo. He has to hold the first half of the film on his shoulders and under pretty much any other child actor, it would fall to pieces. With Pawar though, he shines and elevates the film with it, so much so that it feels like a weaker film when he isn't present.

After talking about the best bit of the film, it only makes sense that I talk about the worst bit to make a good juxtaposition and give a fair and rounded argument. So I will. The worst bit of the film (though still something that is neither awful on its own, nor drags the film down) is the pacing of it. The first half is very interesting and Pawar, as I mentioned, is a fantastic screen presence. His journey around India is as scary as it is endearing and it is a journey you will love to be on. When we jump into the present however, the film takes a bit of a dip. Saroo is alienating himself from his family and is the only character in many of the later scenes, leading to a lack of the chemistry that fuels this half. Equally, when we already know that he's going to use Google Earth to return home, the build up around whether he will get home loses its spark. Those final moments back in India are some of the best in the film so it bears questioning whether the film couldn't have been improved with another 10 or so minutes cut out.

Overall, Lion is certainly worth your time. It isn't quite as good as some of the other films out at the moment but you can do much worse. If you need a happy cry in the cinema but you've seen La La Land too many times already, this will do. There are great performances and the story is interesting but it goes on a bit too long and never recaptures the initial magic. What you're getting is still an enjoyable and largely well done film, one that deserves an