Lion - 3 smiles

The first half of "Lion" is exceptionally well done; the second half, which drags (among other problems) is not. The movie begins in a small village in India around 1990 where a young boy, Saroo (Sunny Pawer), works with his older brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate), to complete chores that will help their mother, Kamla (Pryanka Bose), put a little more food on the table. One day, Guddu tells Saroo that he will be traveling by train to a distant city to find work. Despite his age, Saroo insists on coming along. Guddu eventually lets him and long the way, the two become separated. Saroo eventually ends up in Calcutta not knowing where he is, how to speak the language or the name of the village he has come from. Fortunately, Saroo is adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Bierley (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) and grows up with only dim memories of his biological mother and siblings. Twenty-five years later, an adult Saroo (Dev Patel), uses Google Earth to research his past and makes the decision to seek out his birthplace, hoping to be reunited with his mother and brother.

Director Garth David does an effective job of capturing the young Saroo's fear and confusion at being separated and stranded in a strange land. Non-professional actor Sunny Pawer (who doesn't speak English) conveys the essence of a child's view of a big, frightening world. The film loses traction when it shifts to modern day. Although there's nothing wrong with Dev Patel's portrayal, there's a disconnect between his Saroo and Pawer's. It's difficult for the audience to accept these two actors are the same person and the emotional intensity evident in the first half is missing, slowing things down. And although you want to find out how Saroo finds his mother, the adult Saroo is less interesting than the child. And Rooney Mara's role as Saroo's girlfriend is superfluous. Nicole Kidman, however, is effective as a loving mother who wants what's best for her son, even if it means sharing him with another mother. The documentary footage at the end of the film was shot by Davis for a 60 Minutes special detailing Saroo's life. "Lion" is an amazing tale in spite of its problems and certainly worth seeing.