What a beautiful and emotional journey.
I knew I was gonna cry like a little baby at the end.
Thank you Saroo for sharing your story.
Google were right to feature this film on Chrome's "New Tab" page when it came out. It's breathtaking. Lion deserves a 10/10 for cinematography.
I wish I could agree with the choice to cast Dev Patel in the lead role, though. Apart from the difference in skin tone, Patel's Saroo spent a lot of the film playing something of a sex icon. As amazing as the story is, I found the execution disappointing in the area of character development. Saroo himself didn't really get fleshed out, and as a result he remains kind of a cardboard cutout, a place for the viewer to self-insert and imagine how it would feel to be in his place.
One other big issue: Saroo's adopted brother. We find out almost nothing about him over the course of the film. His obvious mental illness/disability is sidelined to just a couple of scenes—sidelined to the point of being irrelevant. As the viewer, we know it exists, but that's all. We don't know what it is, or if he's undergoing treatment, or if he tried treatment and it failed to help, or how it's really affecting his life. Its effect on Sue is alluded to in a few places, but nothing about Mantosh himself.
It irks me a bit that the film devoted so much screen time to Saroo flicking the Google Earth map around. Some of that time could have been spent further developing characters, perhaps showing some of Saroo's life growing up. Skipping ahead 20 years deprived the audience of opportunities to watch Saroo adapt to life in Australia.
All that said, I realize that this film is essentially a pseudo-biography of living people, and as such there must have been limitations on what the film was able to show. So I can't lop off a mess of rating points for the perceived holes in the screenplay. And besides, it was still a damn enjoyable film.
This was one of 2016 best movies, i haven't seen Fences (which i don't have much hope) and Manchester by the sea but i think we have a solid winner. A fantastic true story, very inspiring and sad with a magnificent little actor Sunny Pawar. This is a must see, it will have you in tears.
Broke me into a million pieces. Emotionally shattering, both as a film and the true story behind it. Tremendous performance from the young lead but kudos to all involved. I wish the film had spent a little more time with Saroo as a child, letting us see his adjustment into the western lifestyle. However, that is my only quibble with the film. Ultimately the film left me feeling inspired, but also very sad. Without going into spoilers, the statements during the credits reveal more of the backstory, one of which is incredibly upsetting. Still, its a wake up call to all of us - we need to be selfless when it comes to doing more good in the world we live in.
There's many good things to say about this movie. The cinematography was particularly stunning with beautiful and shocking scenes from India. But in the end this is the kind of film and annoys me more than it warms my heart. Maybe I'm a monster but I cannot feel sympathy for a character that has everything for him and ultimately is his own and only enemy. Saroo had loving adoptive family, supportive friends and a girlfriend who insisted on helping him, but instead of letting them help, he alienated everybody.
De lo mejor del 2016.... Excelente!
the moment when you find out your name and your place is miss spelling .unbelievable story.
brilliant. i rarely cry but now..
learn to be grateful for what you have.always home follow whenever you are in this planet. you appreciate lost moments always more. memories.
Didn’t really know what to expect when I sat down in the cinema to watch this movie, but what I had heard from others where: Strong movie, a bit long, very good film, touching story…
So not that much info before the movie started.
So what did I think of it… Lion tells a very strong and heartfelt story that touches the very essence of storytelling thru great cinematics and acting. It has a strong story to tell and it does so in a gripping and visual exciting way, where the 2 hours it lasted quickly passes and when the light comes back, you can’t help but has to wipe away a couple of tears that has gathered in the corners of your eyes.
Normally this is not the kind of movie I enjoy watching, but I must say that I am happy I did. I would have missed a great movie, that I absolutely loved, although It could be 15-20 min shorter.
Splendid cinematography and solid acting (Sunny Pawar steals the show from the more seasoned actors), though I'm not sure the story merits the epic treatment given here. Still, a moving story and I cried on cue at the end, so here is your 8 rating!
The cinema where I watched Lion almost drowned in tears (during some scenes people were crying so hard it was kinda scary), definitely a film to bring a box of tissues to (Ladies, don't wear make-up for Lion, it'd be a waste)
Great debut of Sunny Pawar (should replace Patel on the awards lists) and good Kidman, overally acting is nice but there are some holes in character development and I'm talking mostly about Mantosh, whose character was indeed introduced but nothing more, I really counted on focusing more on guy's background and relations with family, so I'm quite disappointed.
It sometimes drags (searching part) but overall it's a good movie.
One of the best movies I've seen in my entire life! It's completely incredible!
Where Slumdog Millionaire isn’t my favorite Dev Patel film, I believe Lion is! It’s a remarkable story, with great acting, and an incredible directorial debut for Garth Davis! I really enjoyed watching these two movies back to back!
Rating: 4.5/5 - 90% - Highly Recommend
I will give this film Train to Busan/10 (Super good movie tho beautiful story, loved it)
Those Aussie parents are saints. I've always admired parents who adopt children. It takes a huge deal of altruism and selflessness to raise an adopted child. Especially when he's had a rough start in life.
*Truly Exceptional.*
May I start this off by saying that I'm astonished at the extremely unfair negative, even 'mixed' reviews the film has gotten so far... The film is not even remotely close to being average, it's far, far, beyond magnificent.
By now you probably know the synopsis, so I'll add for those who haven't seen the film that it's visually stunning, the acting is superb (special mention to phenomenal newcomer Sunny Pawar, who plays 5 year old Saroo) and the story is so gripping and moving, that there wasn't a dry eye in the house when the film reached it's emotional climax.
I've been thinking about this film since I saw it, there's drama, mystery, romance, a whirlwind of emotions throughout the 2 hours - in the best way possible.
My score 8/10.
Such a powerful movie and story.
It's really emotional from the start to the end.
Remember when I said "Manchester by the Sea" is a dramatic tearjerker, but the difference is that Manchester was a great movie and this one isn't.
I'm not saying "Lion" is a bad movie or anything, but best picture worthy? Heck no! I mean, the emotional elements are there that unfortunately didn't hit for me. It's a movie that's not going to stick with me after the end credits or a few years time.
And Rooney Mara was completely wasted in this movie, as she didn't do anything to the story and was only a plot device.
The only great things in can say about "Lion" is Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman outstanding performances. Especially Patel who I always thought was a great actor way before "Slumdog" came out. In "Lion", he shines and this is by far his strongest performance yet. Even Sunny Pawar who played the young Saroo was pretty damn good. I guess there are good child actors out there.
The cinematography was really good and the ending was pretty sweet. And that's it.
"Mary Magdalene" with Rooney Mara as Mary Magdalene and Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus should be interesting. Reason why I'm randomly bringing this up, because it's directed by Garth Davis who did this movie.
Wow, what a great story. I've been thinking about it now for a few days after seeing it.
Brilliant film that had me all choked up by the end. You just know the big pay off was coming and it was perfect.
Loved Lion. Wonderfully directed and acted flick. Every player in this film kept you until the next scene and the next. Mr. Patel and Mr. Pawar passed the baton back and forth with such skill to bring about the real Saroo whom the entire story was about. The story is amazing, fantastic and bittersweet. And so genuine. Mr. Wenham and Ms. Kidman really carried a certain sincerity that I did not think would exist, but their roles were so important to who Saroo would eventually become. There are so many rewards in watching this, but one of my favorites is before the credits roll at the end that simply ties it all together. Damn what a great movie!
I would have had a different approach making this movie, in spoiler just in case: I would've rather watched more of the main character growing up, settling into this new environment and becoming part of his new family, and rather see his return to India only in the end credits. Anyways, cinematography and the music was 10/10, and the movie itself is also worth watching, especially as it is based on a true story. Heartbreaking and excellent performance by Sunny Pawar!
Amazing movie, good story, good music. I am a bit disappointed that he spent 5+ years visually looking for his home town the hard way. In retrospect, from an engineer's perspective, you could pull up a list of all the cities/towns/provinces/etc into a large text file and look to see if anything looks similar to what you thought it [your home town] was. Ganesh Talai is pretty close to Ganestalay. TBH I didn't think of this until after I saw that Ganesh Talai had been identified on Google Maps at the end of the movie.
Bijoux de sensibilité.
Les larmes coulent.
What an amazing movie. This is what movie should be like, tell a story, make you feel things. Not like the shit they call Wonder Woman for example
You never forget the way go home
I was a bit shocked after watching this movie, to find out that actually (here in Germany at least) no one is talking about this movie! I don't know why, I have started some discussions about it, but the general interest is really at a lowpoint, despite the partly famous cast (I mean Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman - all names one knows). There are so many bad movies that everyone talks about and that are not worth the attention. This one is actually a masterpiece.
We see the story of a young boy, 5 years old, who living in India makes a mistake, which separates him for 20 years from his family. This alone is so absurd and unbelievable for us living in the western world, as we have functioning civil services that will be able to bring you back to your parents if you are found lost. Not in India though. This movie is devided into three parts - the first part being the general part showing him how he grows up as a child, what he does for "leisure" and where he is rooted. The second part is his faith and how he deals with it in India, and this is probably the most horrible part in the entire movie. I realized when watching this in cinema that some people actually didn't get what happened and why it happend, because the movie does not care to actually explain, that India has a number of (somewhere I've hear 36?) main languages that totally differ from each other. Most people grow up learning only their language, only the educated ones from the big cities also know how to talk in Hindi and/or English (both accepted main languages besindes the one of your county); the boy being miles away from home basically can't communicate with anybody, because he doesn't know Hindi/English and nobody in that county speaks his home tongue).
The last part than focusses on his turn of luck and his search, with the search being the final 20 Minutes, so not a major part.
Not only is this movie totally touching because of the general story; it is also an ingenious acting piece, with the star being the 6 yesrs old Snny Pawar. Wow, is this guy good. Absolutely crazy, absolutely believable and therefore also absolutely frightening and touching, when it comes to the sad parts of the movie. This is really one of the best child actors I've seen since dakota fanning, and he beats her by lengths. You are actually sad when it comes to the agining and suddenly Dav Patel jumpes in, even though, also Dave Patel is great (you know him from Slumdog Millionair or Chappie). Rooney Mara is a great support and also Nicole Kidman is really great in this movie.
And if that is not enough, we also get great pictures and sets, a really thrilling contrast in comparing India to Australia, and wonderful camera work. So, yeah - it is a great picture, it is really worth seeing, it will invite you for an emotional jorney and give you a lot of food for thought.
Absolutely worth watching!
Brilliant from start to finish, a captivating story full of emotion best film I've seen in a while 9/10
One of the most amazing films, I've ever watched, from the sheer talent and brilliance of the cast, especially Sunny Pawar, to the beautiful cinematography and the raw, emotional journey that the audience was taken on.
Great movie! The little boy - Sunny Pawar - deserves an award for his expressive acting in this movie. He does a lot with very little dialogue!
Amazing and sad to know that this happens as i write this.
Lion is one of the Best Picture nominees that really stayed under the radar but this is a very well executed film. Dev Patel does not appear until almost halfway through the movie but when he arrives he takes hold of the movie and never lets go. Its emotional and the ending gives you everything that you hope for.
Simply amazed at how well the movie unfolds and how good an actor little Sunny Pawar is. The movie had lots of emotions and Sunny Pawar as well as Dev Patel made sure you feel each one of them with their exceptional acting. I also liked the way how at the end of the movie you come to know why the movie gets its title Lion.
This story is so beautiful and so well written. And Sunny Pawar was simply perfect.
"GUDDU!"
Beautiful film with an emotional story, recommended!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO WATCH IT.. HAS A BEAUTIFUL STORY LINE. DEEP MOVIE, LOVE LOVE LVE
This movie is nominated for 6 Oscars: Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Dev Patel), Best Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman), Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. It deserves to sweep these categories. I give it a 9 (superb) out of 10. Everything about it was superb - acting, music, the truth of the story, the pathos of the journey, the breath-taking beauty of the filming. It's a don't miss. My favorite for Best picture, so far, with just two left to see: Fences and Moonlight.
Extraordinary story told in a very extraordinary way. Dave Patel and Nicole Kidman outstanding. The music beautiful. I love it
extraordinary story and extraordinary performance by Dev, hell i teared up a little
Shout by HVIP 5BlockedParent2017-02-06T01:27:56Z
Absolutely amazing and I just can't find the right words to describe Sunny Pawar in this film. His portrayal of Young Saroo is heartbreaking but so wonderful. What a brilliant little actor he is