Film discussion: Lion

March 6, 2017
By  

For me, this is a time to look back at some Best-of-2016 lists and see if there’s something good I missed. (Hint: Yes, there is.) I can waste a lovely amount of time that way, although I wouldn’t call it wasting. Sometimes when you go back and look through the candy box, you find, nestling among the little brown folded candy papers, a sea-salt caramel. And life is good.

If you haven’t seen Lion, I think you’re in for a treat. If you’re a fan of the well-made film, one that brings a great story to life and gets the music, the sets, the performances, the sex and the pain right, you will want to see this one.

It’s a based-on-a-true-story movie about a young boy from Calcutta who gets lost, gets into danger, gets rescued, gets adopted far from India, gets loving parents and a good life.

But Calcutta and his lost mother and his lost brother just won’t leave him alone. He is driven to try to find his way back home. And if that doesn’t hook you, you’re dead.

Lion has it all, including Oscar nominated performances by Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman (both for Best Supporting), the script, the music, the cinematography and (hardly surprising after all those others) Best Picture. It’s a Feel-Good movie without the clumsy heart-wrenching that films in that category often display.

It also has, although he was egregiously overlooked by the Academy, the cutest, gamest young character you’re likely to see in years as played by Sonny Pawar. He’s as watchable as a cat video, and I mean that as a compliment.

Lion also does a good job of raising some serious issues—exploitation of children, adoption—but it does it with such a light touch, that you don’t feel hit over the head. But these should make for a more substantial discussion than would otherwise be the case.

I hope you will join us on Tuesday at 7:00 in The Historic Theater for the viewing and discussion of Lion. Unusually, I’ve already seen it, so I’m feeling a bit smug in recommending it because I know it’s a sure thing.

And in two weeks, be sure to mark your calendar for Fences, the other Best Picture nominee that I didn’t get to see before the Oscars. Looking forward to that one.