‘Lion’

A superior piece of (based-on-truth) storytelling, Lion avoids overly mawkish sentimentality as adopted 20-something Saroo Brierley searches for his birth mother somewhere in India.

Separated from his family as a young boy, Saroo finds himself in the Tasmanian home of Sue and John Brierley via an orphanage in Calcutta (a fine, Oscar-nominated performance from Nicole Kidman). But as a young adult, Dev Patel needs closure.

With an immensely  respectful and immersive telling of the early stages of the story (some 40 subtitled minutes with 5 year old Saroo), director Garth Davis, in his feature film debut, builds the emotional arc beautifully as the notion of family, identity and home are explored in this thoroughly engrossing film.

Nominated for 6 Oscars in 2017 including best film, supporting actress, supporting actor and adapted screenplay.

Rating: 75%

Director: Garth Davis (TV’s Top of the Lake, Love My Way)

Writer: Luke Davies (Life, Candy) – adapted from the book by Saroo Brierley

Main cast: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Nicole Kidman (The Others, Rabbit Hole), Sunny Pawar