Lion - directed by Garth Davis
I went into this movie with a very open mind despite the literally dozens of times I have seen the trailer.
But the negativity that spam viewings of the trailer and the expectation that comes from critical acclaim aside I was genuinely a completely blank slate as "Lion" began.
Based on true events as portrayed by Saroo Brierley in his book "A Long Way Home" it marks the feature debut of Australian director Garth Davis.
Prior to this film he was best known for award winning commercials and episodes of the TV show "Top of the Lake".
I say 'was' best known for those things because "Lion" is certain to become his calling card from this point onwards.
The early scenes in "Lion" show Saroo and his older brother Guddu stealing coal from a moving train.
They earn enough money to buy a genuine treat - 2 packets of milk.
The boys have a sister and a mother with whom they live in a very poor part of India.
When five year old Saroo is separated from his brother at a train station he finds himself locked in a train and transported hundreds of miles across the country.
He is unable to find his way home and after a series of encounters with various people who are either helping him or exploiting him he is adopted by a couple from Hobart in Australia.
The surprise for me in the first hour was that the scenes with young Saroo went on for as long as they did.
I had thought that it would be ten or fifteen minutes to set up the story of the older man trying to find his way back but there is in fact a lot of meat in the first part of the film.
Sunny Pawar as Saroo is more than up to the task.
The eight year old actor is incredible in a role that requires him to be on screen a lot and express a host of emotions largely without the aid of dialogue.
This kid is going places so charming is he.
As the film advances we do of course take up the story with the older Saroo played by Dev Patel.
I haven't seen Patel in too many movies - four including this one - but this is easily his best work to date.
The excellent script from Luke Davies based on the book that Saroo wrote about his life provides Patel the opportunity to really stretch the emotional range of his performance.
There is a lot that I could say to back this up but there is equally as much of the plot to spoil in doing so.
Regardless I was truly blown away by his work here.
And of course by Nicole Kidman's.
She looks more natural in this than she does in her award shows and interviews of late and it suits her.
This is the Kidman of old for me - fresh, emotive and totally invested in the character.
I have not been so moved by a Kidman performance for over a decade.
She is without doubt going to get an Oscar nomination (we will find out in about 3 days) and she deserves it.
But... for me the shining star in this film is Rooney Mara who seems to have been totally ignored by the awards season.
Mara plays a character that allows Patel's performance to reach the depths that it does.
In no way do I mean that she is doing any work for him but rather that his performance would have been less effective without her character to reflect the mood and emotion of it.
Mara does a lot with a little here and there are several scenes in which she shows how efficiently she can convey even the subtlest of thoughts or emotions.
Mara deserves far more recognition for her range and intelligence than it seems she gets in my opinion.
I have used variants of the word 'emotion' several times and I do so very deliberately.
I am not one to get too teary eyed at movies as a rule but "Lion" plunges its fingers so subtly and so gradually around the heart of the viewer that it is almost a surprise to feel yourself choking up at pretty regular intervals.
The reactions come with ever increasing frequency and by the time that the movie builds to its conclusion it will take a very cold human being indeed not to feel at least a twitch in the eye.
Director Garth Davis earns each and every one - none of the many emotional moments in this film are not earned nor are they cheaply achieved.
The script is wonderfully paced and finds just the right tone given the pretty dire stuff that happens.
Director of photography Greig Fraser shot "Zero Dark Thirty", "Killing Them Softly" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" so it hardly needs saying that this is a beautiful looking film.
He employs a yellowish - almost sepia tone in the early sections that make the despair almost hellish as young Saroo becomes more and more separated from everything and everyone that he loves.
I loved this film and it is a testament to the skill with which it is constructed and performed that how much was not apparent until well into it.
That may seem like a backhanded compliment or perhaps a suggestion of a slow first half (which it isn't) but what is really happening is that it is taking its time to weasel its way into your heart and mind so that when it is ready to pounce you will not see it coming.
And pounce it does - many times before the end that you expect will be big and definitely is.
That is not why it is called "Lion" by the way but it is fitting that the reveal as to why is also a very affecting moment.
This is a damned fine movie that fully deserves every award, every gushing review and each and every dollar in ticket sales.
RATING: 90 / 100
CONCLUSION: An emotional powerhouse of a movie that earns every tear, every lump in the throat and every lip quiver that it draws from the audience. A startlingly good feature debut for Davis and a timely reminder of what a talent Nicole Kidman is and how underrated Rooney Mara has been.
Starring: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Sunny Pawar, Abhishek Bharate, Priyanka Bose, Khushi Solanki, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee
Screenplay: Luke Davies (from Saroo Brierley's book)
Music Score by: Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka) & Dustin O'Halloran
Cinematography: Greig Fraser
Edited by: Alexandre de Franceschi
Running Time: 118 minutes
Language: English, Hindi & Bengali
Rated: PG - Very mild in all areas
Running Time: 118 minutes
Language: English, Hindi & Bengali
Rated: PG - Very mild in all areas
But the negativity that spam viewings of the trailer and the expectation that comes from critical acclaim aside I was genuinely a completely blank slate as "Lion" began.
Based on true events as portrayed by Saroo Brierley in his book "A Long Way Home" it marks the feature debut of Australian director Garth Davis.
Prior to this film he was best known for award winning commercials and episodes of the TV show "Top of the Lake".
I say 'was' best known for those things because "Lion" is certain to become his calling card from this point onwards.
The early scenes in "Lion" show Saroo and his older brother Guddu stealing coal from a moving train.
They earn enough money to buy a genuine treat - 2 packets of milk.
The boys have a sister and a mother with whom they live in a very poor part of India.
When five year old Saroo is separated from his brother at a train station he finds himself locked in a train and transported hundreds of miles across the country.
He is unable to find his way home and after a series of encounters with various people who are either helping him or exploiting him he is adopted by a couple from Hobart in Australia.
The surprise for me in the first hour was that the scenes with young Saroo went on for as long as they did.
I had thought that it would be ten or fifteen minutes to set up the story of the older man trying to find his way back but there is in fact a lot of meat in the first part of the film.
Sunny Pawar as Saroo is more than up to the task.
The eight year old actor is incredible in a role that requires him to be on screen a lot and express a host of emotions largely without the aid of dialogue.
This kid is going places so charming is he.
 |
| Dev Patel as Saroo and the lovely, talented (and underrated) Rooney Mara as Lucy |
I haven't seen Patel in too many movies - four including this one - but this is easily his best work to date.
The excellent script from Luke Davies based on the book that Saroo wrote about his life provides Patel the opportunity to really stretch the emotional range of his performance.
There is a lot that I could say to back this up but there is equally as much of the plot to spoil in doing so.
Regardless I was truly blown away by his work here.
And of course by Nicole Kidman's.
She looks more natural in this than she does in her award shows and interviews of late and it suits her.
This is the Kidman of old for me - fresh, emotive and totally invested in the character.
I have not been so moved by a Kidman performance for over a decade.
She is without doubt going to get an Oscar nomination (we will find out in about 3 days) and she deserves it.
But... for me the shining star in this film is Rooney Mara who seems to have been totally ignored by the awards season.
Mara plays a character that allows Patel's performance to reach the depths that it does.
In no way do I mean that she is doing any work for him but rather that his performance would have been less effective without her character to reflect the mood and emotion of it.
Mara does a lot with a little here and there are several scenes in which she shows how efficiently she can convey even the subtlest of thoughts or emotions.
Mara deserves far more recognition for her range and intelligence than it seems she gets in my opinion.
 |
| Nicole Kidman (Oscar nom any day) and David Wenham and far right the amazing Sunny Pawar - a star in the making |
I am not one to get too teary eyed at movies as a rule but "Lion" plunges its fingers so subtly and so gradually around the heart of the viewer that it is almost a surprise to feel yourself choking up at pretty regular intervals.
The reactions come with ever increasing frequency and by the time that the movie builds to its conclusion it will take a very cold human being indeed not to feel at least a twitch in the eye.
Director Garth Davis earns each and every one - none of the many emotional moments in this film are not earned nor are they cheaply achieved.
The script is wonderfully paced and finds just the right tone given the pretty dire stuff that happens.
Director of photography Greig Fraser shot "Zero Dark Thirty", "Killing Them Softly" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" so it hardly needs saying that this is a beautiful looking film.
He employs a yellowish - almost sepia tone in the early sections that make the despair almost hellish as young Saroo becomes more and more separated from everything and everyone that he loves.
I loved this film and it is a testament to the skill with which it is constructed and performed that how much was not apparent until well into it.
That may seem like a backhanded compliment or perhaps a suggestion of a slow first half (which it isn't) but what is really happening is that it is taking its time to weasel its way into your heart and mind so that when it is ready to pounce you will not see it coming.
And pounce it does - many times before the end that you expect will be big and definitely is.
That is not why it is called "Lion" by the way but it is fitting that the reveal as to why is also a very affecting moment.
This is a damned fine movie that fully deserves every award, every gushing review and each and every dollar in ticket sales.
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