Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Lifestyle

Movie review: Lion

Toby Woollaston
By Toby Woollaston
Reviewer·NZME.·
13 Jan, 2017 06:44 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
IN THE FAMILY: Saroo (DevPatel) with his adoptive parents John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman).
IN THE FAMILY: Saroo (DevPatel) with his adoptive parents John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman).

IN THE FAMILY: Saroo (DevPatel) with his adoptive parents John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman).

Lion is directed by a relative newcomer to the feature film set, Garth Davis, who has taken the reins of bringing the seemly impossible true story of Saroo Brierley to the big screen. Adapted from the book A Long Way Home (written by Saroo himself), Davis has brought about a film that is harrowing, tragic, beautiful, and thought provoking.

It begins by introducing Saroo (who is superbly played by young Sunny Pawar) in his home village, beautifully sketching out village life from the perspective of a five-year-old. From the loving relationship with his brother and mother to the playful nature of his walk home, his world is wonderfully captured through the lens of master cinematographer Greig Fraser (Bright Star, Killing Them Softly). Tragically, while waiting at a train station for his brother to return, Saroo inadvertently wanders onto a train bound for Calcutta hundreds of miles away. Search hard enough and many of us can remember brief times as a child of accidental separation from our parents and the fleeting but undiluted feeling horror that ensued. This feeling is conveyed in gut-wrenching scenes that capture impoverished India in all its Slumdog-esque filth, colour, and chaos. The tragedy of an innocent five-year-old lost among it all, while being beset upon by the denizens of unscrupulous intent, is difficult to watch. Fortunately pockets of humanity lift little Saroo out of his desperate situation to where he is eventually adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (played by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham).

Twenty-five years on and Saroo (Dev Patel with an unwavering Aussie accent), who is now firmly ensconced in the Australian way of life, begins to recall flashes of his early life. This triggers what becomes the obsessive task of piecing together his own origins based on the unreliable memories of his five-year-old self. The obsession puts a strain on the relationship with his girlfriend Lucy (Rooney Mara), and his adopted family. There is a scene where Saroo remonstrates his mum over her selflessness and unswerving commitment and love for her adopted children. It is a short but powerful scene where Sue Brierley's anguish is caught in one wonderfully acted moment by Nicole Kidman, demonstrating in her limited screen time what a class actor she is.

If I had one quibble, it concerns the chemistry between Patel and Mara. Both are good actors in their own right and yet their on-screen combination felt a little forced and over drawn. Despite this, Lion is a beautiful and moving film made all the more compelling because it is a true story ... make sure to bring your tissues.

Rating: 4 stars.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

- Lion opens in New Zealand cinemas on January 19.

Discover more

Movie review: Manchester by the Sea

03 Feb 06:09 AM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Bay of Plenty Times

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

Bay of Plenty Times

'It's been a lot of fun': Simon Bridges on life after politics

Bay of Plenty Times

Organic honey - from bush to boutique in Coromandel


Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

'Slowly gaining my strength': Bindi Irwin on recovery from surgeries
Entertainment

'Slowly gaining my strength': Bindi Irwin on recovery from surgeries

'Her behaviour is pathetic': Judge lambasts woman's five-month theft spree across three regions
New Zealand

'Her behaviour is pathetic': Judge lambasts woman's five-month theft spree across three regions

'Golf balls in the tops of trees': The birds of the Canadian wilderness
Travel

'Golf balls in the tops of trees': The birds of the Canadian wilderness

Melania Trump threatens $1.7b lawsuit over Hunter Biden’s Epstein claims
World

Melania Trump threatens $1.7b lawsuit over Hunter Biden’s Epstein claims

One person critically injured, another arrested after incident near Whakatāne
New Zealand

One person critically injured, another arrested after incident near Whakatāne

Uncomfortable exchange: Coach's awkward interview with young reporter
Entertainment

Uncomfortable exchange: Coach's awkward interview with young reporter



Latest from Lifestyle

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?
Bay of Plenty Times

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

Patrick Lam, an eight-time winner, learned baking from his brother-in-law in 1997.

13 Aug 08:12 PM
'It's been a lot of fun': Simon Bridges on life after politics
Bay of Plenty Times

'It's been a lot of fun': Simon Bridges on life after politics

08 Aug 05:00 PM
Organic honey - from bush to boutique in Coromandel
Bay of Plenty Times

Organic honey - from bush to boutique in Coromandel

28 Jul 09:47 PM


Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

10 Aug 09:12 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search