Lion is the final movie I had yet to see that was nominated for Best Picture. It's probably my privilaged whiteness, but I tend to subconsciously avoid movies that take place in the middle east. I don't know why. There are several areas that are ripe with culture, and lush with color, but it just doesn't interest me. I'm talking anything from Slumdog Millionaire, to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to even War Dogs (okay, that one might have more to do with my utter disdain for Miles Teller). Yet, even with this aversion to movies that take place away from my comfort zone in utopian whiteland... Lion still interested me. Dev Patel is a fantastic actor and Nicole Kidman is still rocking it. And thanks to my rule of watching every movie nominated for Best Picture, I was able to watch a film that not only deserves its nomination, but should absolutely be watched by everyone.
The crazy thing about Lion is that it plays out like a very formulaic "journey home" film. There are instances of far-fetchedness that would generally make anyone roll their eyes and detach themselves from the rest of the narrative because they aren't able to suspend that much disbelief. These moments would surely send Lion into the 44% range on rottentomatoes and hardly anyone would care. The reason Lion is able to transcend this is because it's all 100% true. (Okay, maybe not 100%, but pretty damn close.) Lion is the [unbelievably heart-breaking] story of Saroo, a 5-year-old Indian boy who follows his older brother to a train station, falls asleep on a bench, loses his brother and travels thousands of kilometers in the wrong directions attempting to get home. For months, on his own, he has to survive several life-threatening challenges, until he is rescued and adopted by a (*cough*) white Australian couple (Nicole Kidman & David Wenham).
Saroo is raised by this couple and given a life of luxury and privilege, a life he would not have received living in poverty with his mother, a laborer who moves rocks each and every day. And even though for the past twenty-five years, Saroo has been given everything he could ever ask for... he's still drawn to his home. He still (rightfully) obsesses about his mother and brother and yearns to get back to them. His Australian parents are his family, are his mother and father, are his home... but they're not his family... they're not his home.
Lion does a fantastic job of presenting the theme of identity and home. Everyone is able to relate to Saroo and his struggles because we all have some sort of connection (whether present or lost) to our home. So, when it looks like adult Saroo (Dev Patel) is starting to obsess to the point of insanity over finding his home... we understand. Hell, even his Aussie parents understand... even though Saroo keeps his search a secret until the last possible second. The final act of the film is Saroo traveling back to India to find his mother and brother. And my God, readers, consider yourself a bonafide robot if the ending doesn't move you to tears... several times. Dev Patel carries the weight of the film visually on his shoulders in a role that certainly earned him an Academy Award nomination (though it shouldn't have been in the Supporting category). Sunny Pawar, the 5-year-old who portrays little Saroo is just as magnificent and without his strong performance, Patel would genuinely not have a movie to carry.
The other aspect of this film that feels like I should just be angry at Hollywood is the whole "white people save a person of color and turn is his life around... thank you white people." First... and again... this is a TRUE story of what actually happened. Second, this isn't what the film is about and it isn't the message being conveyed. Yes, a white Austrailian couple (who admittedly CAN have children but choose to adopt from third world countries) saves an Indian boy, adopts him, and gives him a life he could never dream of having. However, they can only save him to a point. They can't make him forget about home. They can't make him forget about family. Because no matter where we go in this life, we can never forget about home and family (as much as a lot of us try to).
Finally, what Lion also does is gives us a deeply depressing and dark look at the children of India. More than 80,000 children in India are abandoned on the street. They're killed, kindapped, trafficked, harvested for organs, collected for labor and generally experience the worst of life. Nicole Kidman's character, in a very moving and emotional scene, admits to Saroo that the reason they adopted him wasn't because she was physically incapable of having children, but because there's enough people and pain in this world... there's no promises of protecting a newborn child. But, there is the promise of helping a child (even a child from India) who was already in pain and giving that child something most Indian children don't ever get out of life. It's a very difficult reality to face, but Lion has not only created awareness, they've also started a charity, the #LionHeart campaign. If this is something that truly speaks to you on a deep, emotional level... I encourage you to see the movie and then check out the campaign.
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