Lion

After nearly accomplishing my goal of watching all of the best picture Oscar nominations, I am long overdue to share my thoughts on these films. My personal favorite film of the season was "Lion" directed by Garth Davis. I may have found this to be my favorite Oscar contender, yet there has been surprisingly little press coverage and box office success upon its initial release. 

There is an important aspect to film success that people cannot discredit- marketing. The best movie in the world can be released, but what good does that do if no one goes to see it? While I think that "Lion" has generated more buzz since its release, initially they did very little marketing. Even when Oscar excitement started in December, I never saw an ad in a magazine or newspaper, or even a trailer on TV. Think about the marketing utilized in other nominated movies- "La La Land" billboards everywhere you turn, beautiful print ads depicting the Fences cast, even low-budget "Moonlight" effectively utilized social media. When relentlessly asking my friends about the movies they've seen lately, few people even heard of "Lion" let alone bought a ticket to it. That being said, as the days leading up to the Academy Awards narrow down, "Lion" is doing remarkably well at the box office and overall has remarkably improved and expanded its reputation.

Now onto my commentary on the actual movie! "Lion" may not have the highest critic scores of all the best picture nominees, but there are countless aspects of this film that place it highest on my scale. "Lion" depicts the true story of an Indian child named Saroo who gets separated from his family. The audience is exposed to the heartbreaking survival methods Saroo endures in hopes of being reunited with his mother. Later in the film, Saroo is 25 years older and living in Australia. In all that time, he has not given up on his dream of being reunited with his mother in India. He uses Google Earth technology in attempt to find her. I won't give away what happens at the end!

One aspect of the film that most impressed me was the acting. The first half of the movie stars 8-year-old Sunny Pawar, playing Saroo as a child. I am always blown away when a child can take on such an extensive role and give such a powerful performance. Your heart will break as Saroo travels about India, unable to communicate with the people around him, anxious to get food in his belly in order to survive another day to look for his mom. You feel what he is feeling- lost, afraid, unsure. It is really incredible and difficult seeing a trusting and vulnerable child undergo so much tragedy. The second half of the movie stars Dev Patel, most commonly known for his part in "Slumdog Millionaire" (another favorite of mine). I think it was a fairly risky move to separate the movie into two parts- one depicting Saroo's childhood, the other depicting Saroo utilizing Google Earth decades later. However, the casting of Pawar and Patel allowed for this decision to go off without a hitch. Both deliver such emotional, powerful performances. It was very easy for me to process them playing the same character at different stages in his life. Patel showcases his exceptional acting abilities by demonstrating immense vulnerability. He channels the emotions conveyed by Pawar in the first half of the film, such as hope, resourcefulness, and this rare beautiful blend of realism and optimism.

Many reviews wrote off "Lion" as a been-there-done-that storyline, tragedy and childhood heartbreak that results in a happy ending. It is crucial however to remember that this film is based off of a true story. Rather than thinking of this storyline as overdone, I like to think of it as universal. "Lion" is an exceptionally emotional film that, let's be real, will probably bring you to tears. It is a beautiful story, and luckily this film does the story justice. "Lion" tells the story of a boy becoming a man, finding himself in the midst of looking for his family.