Lion is a fine example of the fact that a great true story can get you everything that you need to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar, but not necessarily to make a great movie. It’s a fine movie that pays off better than it ever deserves to, but overall it’s just another powerful film, cherry picked by the Oscars to be the "international" film. Now, I think that this film being nominated is just as important as anything else being nominated, but you could do better. Seriously, though, while we’re on the subject of the international films from around the world where the heck is The Handmaiden? That’s miles better than Lion and it got nothing! So, if you could guess from my review Lion isn’t great. Lesser so from the review, it’s actually good but heavily marred by bad direction that never lets the harrowing images at its center sink in and a second act that muddles the central character motivations and dynamics into mush that does make for a quiet, moody, feel but just isn’t interesting. The best way to address Lion is to address that each of the three acts is split up between distinct tones and feels. The first, where our main character Saroo (played as a child by a kind of empty but enthusiastic Sunny Pawar) is left at a train station and then accidentally boards a train that takes him very far from home. He eventually ends up on the streets of Calcutta. This is the first part of the movie which has an intensely emotional premise to it but is delivered to the audience in such a bland way that it’s impossible to feel the emotion of the moment. Pawar can scream and reach out of the train car that he’s been accidentally left on all that he wants, but if the compositions don’t hold up their end of the bargain, the movie lacks the bite that it should have. This doesn’t in fact, have the versatile director of Trainspotting on its side, though there are some suggested disturbing themes that come specifically from just the performance and editing that seems to spice it up a bit. Other than that though, despite the subject matter, there’s no urgency to the story when there really should be. A bigger point could be being made in the fact that people simply ignore the stranded Saroo, but it’s not enough to keep the movie rolling. Saroo, after living on the street is then adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) and taken to live in Australia. 20 years later, he wants to find where he came from. The film here transitions into a muddle of weepy character drama that seems ultimately neglectful of establishing full personas. That’s not to judge the way that actions were played in real life, just to mention here that the film lacks a bit of character. Nicole Kidman is just the “strong mother,” and doesn’t really transfer into anything special until a scene that herby cements her character as “Jesus.” Dev Patel is fine as grown up Saroo, but it’s hard not to get the sense that the movie’s working too much around his plight to the point that it’s just not fun to watch. It can be appreciated that the film tries to transpose the feelings of its characters onto the audience, but it’s still disorienting and doesn’t go anywhere. Most unfortunate of all is Rooney Mara, who is standing around stranded in a part as grown up Saroo’s girlfriend, Lucy. Their relationship is the main thrust of the passage of time and to say the least it doesn’t really get there. And then there’s the ending. Lion for all its imperfections is a film that with the power of it’s true story does eventually hit peak emotionality. It’s worth it too. This is based on a true story so we all know how it’s going to end, but nonetheless the ending is worth the ever so flawed trip. As Saroo finally makes it back home, as he can finally see his family after years of being lost, the effect is so crushing with happiness, melancholy, nostalgia, and joy that only the most cynical wouldn’t be moved. But an ending can’t save a flawed movie, and that’s what Lion is. It’s not outright bad, as all the flaws still offer up a movie that is coherent and emotional, but it lacks the sheer genius devoted to the direction that the other Best Picture nominees have been afforded. Lion is one of those movies that is nominated for an Oscar just because it is. I appreciate the great true story here, just not the way it was represented on screen. Lion gets a 6 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |