Lion Review

Lion

Release Date: 19th January 2017 - Australia 

Production Companies 

The Weinstein Company (presents)

Screen Australia (in association with)

See-Saw Films

Aquarius Films (in association with)

Sunstar Entertainment (in association with)

Narrative Capital (developed with the assistance of)

Distribution 

Transmission Films

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG

Runtime: 118 minutes

Budget: $12,000,000

Box Office Gross: $140,312,928 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary 

Separated from his home and family, five-year-old Saroo gets lost on a train that will take him thousands of miles across India. Before Saroo gets adopted by an Australian couple, he must learn to survive alone in Calcutta. Twenty-five years later, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to the place that he first called home, armed with only a few memories, his unshakable determination and the revolutionary technology of Google Earth.

Cast

Sunny Pawar - Young Saroo

Dev Patel - Saroo Brierly

Nicole Kidman - Sue Brierly

Rooney Mara - Lucy 

David Wenham - John Brierly

Abhishek Bharate - Guddu 

Priyanka Bose - Kamia

Khuski Solanki - Young Shekila 

Shankar Nisode - Shankar

Tannishtha Chatterjee - Noor

Nawazuddin Siddiqui - Rama

Riddhi Sen - Café Man

Rita Roy - Amita 

Surojit Das - Shonedeep/
Haunted Boy

Deepti Naval - Mrs. Sood

Menik Gooneratne - Swarmina 

Keshav Jedhav - Young Mantosh

Divian Ladwa - Mantosh Brierly

Todd Sampson - Provost

Pallavi Sharda - Prama 

Sachin Joab - Bharat

Arka Das - Sami

Emille Cocquerel - Annika
Rohini Kargaiya - Shekila

Crew

Director - Garth Davis

Adapted from the Book "A Long Way From Home" - Saroo Brierly

Screenplay - Luke Davies

Executive Producers - Andrew Fraser, David Glasser, Daniel Levin, Shahen Mekertichain and Bob & Harvey Weinstein 

Producers - Iain Channing, Angie Fielder and Emile Sherman

Casting Director - Kirsty McGregor

Production Designer - Chris Kennedy

Art Director: Australia - Janie Parker

Art Director: India - Ravi Srivastava

Set Decorator: Australia - Nicki Gardiner

Set Decorator: India - Seema Kashyap

Costume Designer - Cappi Ireland

Makeup Supervisor - Zeljika Stanin

Director of Photography - Greig Fraser

First Assistant Director - Chris Webb

Visual Effects Supervisor - Julian Dimsey

Editor - Alexandre de Francheschi

First Assistant/VFX Editor - Maria Papoustis

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer/

Re-Recording Mixer - Robert Mackenzie

Re-Recording Mixer - Steve Burgess

Music - Volker Bertelmann and
Dustin O'Halloran

Review

A moving biopic of a young boy's struggle to survive in India before being adopted, which leads to his uplifting journey as an adult to locate his lost family, seemed meaningful and surprising for an Oscar-worthy contender. The movie's first half reduces me to tears with its heart-wrenching scenes. It feels like watching An American Tail all over again. Thankfully, it shifted from its depression to the backbone of its inspirational and heartwarming drama.

Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel both nail their performances as the young and adult Saroo, with the first for his youthful optimism and Patel with self-dignity and reliance. I would have been proud to see both actors share the Best Actor nomination instead of Patel being named Best Supporting Actor. Aussie legend Nicole Kidman joins the cast as Saroo's adoptive and supporting mother. Her character is well-acted and gives credibility to the story.

It was worthwhile to see a film that wasn't as revolutionary as some believed. It stands as one of the great dramas I have reviewed. If you have no feelings about this feature, you have no soul.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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