Review of Lion (2015) by Norm D — 04 Aug 2017

Rightly deserving of its Oscar & other nominations - and right not to win. AARP correctly nominates it for Best for Grownups, Best Intergenerational, & Best Supporting (Kidman). It's a good movie for those whose film interests reach beyond Marvel & Lionsgate.

A critics critique: A fine production in English but beginning as subtitled. No problem. In the 2nd Act the narrative begins to sag. 7 or 8 minutes of cutting would've fixed that & still yielded sufficient run time. But the 3rd Act and ending documentary scenes recover the story. A bit jarring though is how the young Saroo morphs into a visage that seems not to be India'n, nearly caucasian, or maybe half India'n at most. This is most obvious in the final scenes. Patel is an India'n surname and he's a fine actor in this production. Still ... This casting perhaps unintentionally imparts a slight racist undertone.

Definitely a thumbs-up. And a story about lost & misplaced kids that needs wide distribution. Thank-you Weinsteins for bankrolling blue-road (Kuralt) productions and giving us more "Chocolats.".