Review of Lion (2015) by Catalina W — 22 Jul 2018

Lion: The Personal Decision to Love.

Drama movies have always been a very popular option on the billboard. There are hundreds to watch and cry with, but what makes Lion (2016) stand out from all those other films? Together with the cast participating in this film, cinematography, production design and sound, Lion brings to the table a delicate story about the ties built inside a family when each one decides to love the others. There are many movies that want to convince us that love is about destiny, but Lion exhibits with clearity that the ones that love the most are the ones that choose and are committed to love.

India is a beautiful country, rich in culture and traditions but economically poor for many. Inside this world, Kamla and her children try to survive by working hard jobs and begging for money in train stations. One night, two of her sons (Guddu and Saroo) went to a different town to find something to eat and bring home. While waiting for his older brother, Saroo fell asleep in one of the empty carriages at the station. When he woke up he realized that the train was moving and that he was miles away from home, getting lost in one of the most busy Indian cities. This little boy was lost for days and after being discovered by a government organization, he was flown out of his country and adopted by an Australian couple. More than twenty years later, Saroo became obsessed with his vague memories about his roots and starts a path to find home.

If you are a mom or if you are planning on becoming one, please bring tissues with you. The day you decided to be a mom, you decided to love your child. You probably knew that raising a child wouldn't  always be easy but you wanted to do it. You chose to have, raise, take care of, support and guide your child because you loved him/her since the first day you knew that his/her little heart was beating inside of you. Because of this pure maternal attachment, if our 5 year-old child gets lost and you don't know where he is, what would you be willing to do to find him? Maybe some of us would run all over the world looking for our children. But if we were single mothers, with other younger children to take care of and in a very poor economic situation, the options decrease. Priyanka Bose (Kamla) does an extraordinary job representing the true emotions of a mom that chooses to purily love her children. Her acting makes you feel like you're inside the film and it converts into a real scenario when watching!

This film also shows in a clear way the process of adoption and the true feelings of adoptive parents. Nicole Kidman and David Wenham (Sue & John Brierley) represent in a beautiful form how much love a couple can share with their non-biological kids. After talking with Saroo about the challenges that they have faced because of the adoption process, Kidman goes deep with the phrase: "I could have had kids. We chose not to have kids. We chose you". What a strong phrase to show and remind the public the reality of adoptive parents. When they adopted them, they chose to adopt their past stories too, making the experience of raising them more complicated. But their strength and desire to make their family happy helped them stay together, even when going through personal and home problems, specially accepting Saroo's dream to see his biological family again.

Dev Patel and Sunny Pawar (grown and young Saroo) also did an extraordinary job personalizing the main character. Across the entire film, the good characterization of the actors help the viewers create a relationship with them that crosses the screen. After months of being lost in Kolkata, Saroo does all that a 5-year-old could do to find home. He tries to buy a ticket back to his town and to communicate with others, but they don't speak his language. Even though he was young, he chooses not to give up and find his mom and siblings. Pawar's innocence and fear make us enter his world and see the reality from his eyes. It wouldn't be surprising if you end up talking to the screen as if Saroo could hear you. In the same way, Patel makes us sprout emotions of desperation and complete happiness while he deeply searches in his memories for the roots of his hometown and family. He could have decided not to find his family in India and live the life that he already was living in Australia (good economic situation, loving adoptive parents, girlfriend, attending college), but he chose to look for them because he loved them. Dev Patel makes a wonderful representation of what someone is willing to do when when they are completely engaged to love.

Lion is a movie for the entire family. It's a film for kids, teenagers and adults that reflects the importance of family, perseverance and hard-work. Lion goes beyond the expectations; it is not just a "drama movie". Together with the great representation of Indian culture, this film makes you think about your life and the decisions you have taken to show appreciation to your loved ones. It is a great story that provokes an emotional understanding within the viewers about our home: family is not made by fate, it is made by you.