Lion

Directed by Garth Davis

Type: film

The film Lion directed by Garth Davis is based on the true story of a little Indian boy getting separated from his family and being adopted by a family in Australia. He grows up with his new family while still holding the memories of his old family, but having no knowledge about them or ways to reach them. The film follows his life and how as he grows older, his desire and need to find his birth family grows but it is not an easy job.

I found the topic of adoption interesting in the film and the way that the director portrayed different people’s perspectives on it. Sue and John for example, Saroo’s australian adopted parents, do not hide the fact from their kids that they are adopted yet still manage to create a safe and real family for them. Saroo holds a similar perspective but he is very determined to find his birth family although at first reluctant because of the great family that Sue and John have created for him. I found it interesting how people with two different perspectives can make compromises and both live with the outcome. I think that the director intended to highlight these two different perspectives to teach the viewer that in society people are always going to have different beliefs or perspectives however it is still possible to compromise, like Saroo and his adopted parents, to live alongside each other happily. From how the author wrote the text, I was able to understand how Saroo was affected by these different perspectives in his life. It showed me how having close family or friends who believe differently to you on certain issues can sometimes cause you to question yourself and what you believe. Saroo’s decision to try and find his birth family without telling his current family, did not surprise me however it did surprise me how long it took him to make this decision to start looking and how long it ended up taking him to find them. I like how the director used a repeating shot of Saroo and his giant world map. It gave me a sense of how big the world really is and made me realise that it actually would be a very hard job to find one tiny village in the whole of India or even Calcata. I think the way the director showed this aspect was good because it allowed the viewer to see the true scale of what Saroo was dealing with and it personally taught me how if you are very determined, you can achieve anything, no matter how big the size or scale.

Lion showed me the importance of balance in life and how there is always going to be good and bad in your life. The film shows how Saroo has to learn to live with his life that is full of equal sufferings and blessings and how he deals with it. I liked how the director put in the good and the bad parts of how Saroo deals with this for example when Saroo says “You weren’t just adopting us but our pasts as well. I feel like we’re killing you” and “Living our privileged lives, it makes me sick.” At these moments he is clearly struggling with the fact of his adoption and that his real family is still out there somewhere. He understands that it was not easy for Sue and john to adopt him and his adopted brother but at the same time he feels awful because he is now so privileged while his real mother, he knows will be struggling. The director also shows the times of happiness that Saroo had: “I found her, but that doesn’t change who you are, I love you.” Seeing the extreme differences in Saroo’s life made the film more relatable to the viewers I think and I liked how the director made the majority of the film in Saroo’s negative mind set and only at the end did he find what he was looking for and was completely positive. It taught me that there is going to be a lot of struggles and bad times in life but at the end of it, the result will be great, no matter how long or short it is.

I liked the film Lion directed by Garth Davis. I think the director did Saroo Brielery and his life justice and showed the whole truth and didn’t sugar coat it. It taught me many ideas that I had not previously thought about such as adoption and life balances and I now understand that there is much more to these types of families and people than what we may think. I thoroughly enjoyed the choices of cinematography and especially Sunny Pawar who was the actor who played 5 year old Saroo. It was with actors like him, the main morals of the film and how real it felt that made me really enjoy it.