Dev Patel Nicole Kidman Rooney Mara David Wenham Sunny Pawar
This is may be one of the most complicated
adoption stories you will ever hear about, and it is based upon a true
one. Saroo (Pawar) is an
incredibly industrious Indian child of about five who adores his older brother
and wants to go everywhere with him for jobs. (Their mother is single, supporting three children by
gathering rocks.) They do things
like hop on a coal train and take some of the coal to sell in the city. When Saroo insists on accompanying his
brother on a job during the nighttime, Guduu tries as hard as he can to
dissuade him. Finally, the older
boy relents, and takes Saroo with him.
When they arrive at their destination on the train, Saroo has fallen
asleep and refuses to wake up, so Guduu goes on without him, instructing him to
wait on a bench in the train station, and he’ll be back for him. Time passes, Saroo awakens many times,
but no Guduu. He starts wandering,
and realizes too late he is on a train that is moving.
Saroo ends up in Calcutta where they speak
Bengali, but fortunately, many know Hindi, his language. He wanders the streets for two months,
gets picked up by a seemingly kind woman, but manages to escape when he
realizes she has bad intentions.
Finally, he is picked up by officials who are charged with getting
homeless children off the streets, and put in a kind of orphanage.
By something of a miracle—but probably also
because of his positive qualities—an Australian couple has asked to adopt Saroo,
and he is on the plane to Tanzania.
The rest of the story is about his life there with his new parents, Sue
(Kidman) and John (Wenham), and eventually another adopted Indian child who
becomes his brother. Twenty years
go by and the story continues with Dev Patel in the role of Saroo.
Despite being very happy in his new home,
Saroo’s wish to recapture his Indian identity grows to the point he becomes
obsessed with it. He studies maps
and train schedules, using Google Earth and his memory of places to figure out
where his family might be. He is
sure they have wondered and worried about him all these years, but his
separation from them prompts questions about his own identity: “I’m from Calcutta…no, I’m not from
Calcutta; I’m lost.” His search is
made more complicated by the fact that the child mispronounced the name of his
hometown and didn’t realize his real name was Indian for ‘Lion.’
Lion
is based on Saroo Brierley’s novel about his life in the 1980’s-90’s, and at
the end of the film we are treated to footage of the actual people in the
real-life drama. The film is truly
artistic in its presentation by Australian Director Garth Davis (Mini-series
“Top of the Lake”) and the cast and crew.
Davis’ directorial work has been nominated for numerous international
awards, including coming in second this year for the People’s Choice Award at
the Toronto Film Festival for Lion. Casting for Lion is strong, with Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman already being
mentioned as possibilities for Oscar nominations. The child actor for Saroo, Sunny Pawar, is enchanting in his
portrayal of the feisty, smart, industrious boy who combines these qualities
with thoughtfulness and caring.
Music by Volker Bertelman and Dustin O’Halloran
forms a significant component in the film, particularly since there is little
dialog in long sequences (e.g., when Saroo is alone and trying to find his
brother), and its beauty in mood and tunefulness makes its presence known in
every scene. Cinematographer Greig
Fraser likewise makes his work an integral part of the story, with the camera
guiding us through mazes in cities and then sweeping through the teeming millions
in the city or the breathtaking landscapes of Tanzania.
An intriguing and inspiring “lost and
found” story.
No comments:
Post a Comment