Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films…

Director Garth Davis takes us on a journey across time and space in Lion, an unforgettable true story that vividly displays the beauty of India while sensitively tackling the consequences of adoption. The first half is a detailed depiction of what happened to young Saroo (Sunny Pawar) after losing his loving mother and brother. Raised closer to Mumbai on the West coast, he wanders onto a train and, days later, emerges in Calcutta on the East coast. After months on the street, he’s taken to the police. Without speaking Bengali, they struggle to investigate where he’s from and with no options left, he is adopted by a loving couple (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman) in Australia. The second half follows Saroo (Dev Patel) dedicating his life to finding his family again. He has little to go on and is conflicted about how to present this desire to his adoptive parents – something his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) struggles to understand. Lion may appear to share similarities with Patel’s star-making turn in Slumdog Millionaire, but they tell quite different tales. Saroo’s journey, for example, is intelligently told to ensure that, as viewers, we don’t know how he can find his way back home. The vast landscapes, busy urban cities and scorched stones are exquisitely shot, revealing the insatiable thirst so many have for a country fused with colour and culture. Lion is soaked in the majestic beauty of India and, with such strong performances, it’s a fascinating, powerful film not to be missed.

Rating: 9/10