Lion

Another film, another Oscar-nominee and another career-peak performance from a leading star; Lion is quite remarkable for a first feature from Director Garth Davis.

It tells the story of 5 year old Saroo, an Indian boy living in an extremely poor area of the country, who gets lost when out with his brother and ends up thousands of miles away in Calcutta after boarding a train. A couple of years later, with no one claiming him as their own, he is adopted by a family in Australia. Upon reaching adulthood, and when introduced to then-new invention Google Earth, he seeks to find his birth Mother and Brother.

It's a truly harrowing tale, and made all the more emotional because it's based on the autobiography of the real Saroo. First-time Director Davis admirably tells his story slowly and in linear fashion; we start with the young boy (an incredible Sunny Pawar, what a find!) and half the film is dedicated to his family, his surroundings and, ultimately, his tragic tale of being lost in a new city. Davis is not afraid for this part to be entirely subtitled, and near silent in parts, and it's all the better for it.

We fast forward, at an appropriate moment, to Dev Patel's older Saroo and the film changes into drama as we deal with the issues of overseas adoption, identity problems and family arguments. Patel is on exhilarating form, near unrecognisable from his former self and with a brilliant Australian accent. We may be celebrating the ten year anniversary of the revolutionary Skins, in which he was a fan favourite, but Lion shows his true skill as an actor.

He's pitted alongside big-hitters Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman, immaculate in smaller roles and, when the moment you know is coming does come, you may want to bring the tissues.

Davis uses some of Google's own imagery to bring a sense of wonder to the film and his own technique is of great service to the picture with some great use of beautiful scenery (although he does over-use the 'fade-to-black' scene changer in the first half.)

Whilst the plot, understandably, is fairly predictable, the dramatic elements, the tight scripting and the linear narrative structure make this a joyful experience.

For me, its not quite on a par with this year's awards front-runners; La La Land, Manchester By The Sea and Moonlight, perhaps because it's not an original piece but it is a heartfelt, moving experience which deserves its plaudits and, like the aforementioned, has an honorable message about our place in the world.

4 stars ****