Review of Lion (2016) by Wayne K — 25 Feb 2017

A story so incredible you often won't believe it actually happened, Lion follows the journey of a lost boy in one of the worlds most populated and, evidentially, hard to navigate countries to a troubled adult, yearning for the family he was unwillingly separated from.

Dev Patel is stellar in the lead role, adopting an Australian accent, long hair and a penchant for temperamental mood shifts. The first half of the movie is definitely the most compelling, and kudos to Sunny Pawar for being a child actor who actually doesn't spoil the proceedings with any awkward line-readings or clueless deliveries.

It's also the best directed half, capturing exactly what it must be like to be trapped in a foreign world, even one which is supposed to be your own, and having said world tower all around you. Unfortunately, the second half has a tendency to drag, with repeated scenes of Patel staring at a map and/or laptop screen.

It's an emotional movie no doubt, and the frequent moping, pushing important people away, questioning everything you think you knew etc. is fairly trite. It's not that the second half is bad, it's just that it fails to measure up to the first.

The tear-jerking climax will move some and nauseate most, but it's really the only way the film could properly end. Its strengths lie in its acting, direction and bringing to light a tale so fascinating it warrants at least one viewing.

It may be oversentimental at times, but for a story like this, it's understandably hard to avoid.