Lion Parent Guide

Five-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) begs his big brother Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) to let him come along when he leaves their one-room dwelling to seek night work. As a poor family living in a small village in rural India, it is necessary for everyone to find ways to put food on the table, including doing odd jobs, begging and perhaps stealing. Normally Guddu would have said “no”, but Saroo was brave enough to help him snitch coal off a moving locomotive just a short while earlier, so the young teen agrees.

However, the late hour gets the better of Saroo, and Guddu is forced to leave the drowsy youngster on a bench at a train station. Although Guddu promises to come back for him later, he is still not there when Saroo finally wakes up. A little frightened, the child wanders around looking for his older sibling. After a while he seeks shelter inside a parked railroad car where he falls asleep again. This time when the small boy awakes he realizes the train is moving. Not able to escape the confines of the passenger carriage for two days, Saroo is inadvertently transported to the big city of Kalkata (formerly Calcutta).

All alone in the crowded metropolis, Saroo’s pleas for help are not answered by the populace who speak a different language and mistake him for one of the many other beggars who live on the streets. As days turn into weeks and even months, the lost tike survives on scraps of garbage and nearly falls prey to child abductors. Eventually he is granted refuge in a crowded orphanage. From there a charitable agency arranges for him to be adopted by a loving couple from Australia (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman).

As the years go by, Saroo (now played by Dev Patel) takes advantage of the world of opportunities his new life offers. Yet he is haunted by the weight of knowing his first family, especially his mother (Khushi Solanki) and brother, will still be wondering whatever happened to him. It is not until he is an adult that he sees a possible way of discovering the place of his birth – Google Earth. with only his faded childhood memories, Saroo uses the newly invented computer program to scourer the immense country of India and its maze of train tracks. The impossible task of locating his hometown quickly becomes an obsession. Soon his fixation with the past puts his present relationships at risk (including that of his caring, live-in girlfriend played by Rooney Mara) and his hopes for future happiness.

Fortunately, there are few content concerns in the heart pounding and thoughtful telling of this true story, despite the film’s PG-13 rating. Young children may be scared as they watch Saroo navigate an uncertain world where he faces veiled threats (possibly of human trafficking, slavery and sex trade work). Adopted parents and children will likely experiences various feelings as they follow Sarro’s efforts to reconnect with his birth family. And all viewers are sure to be entangled in Saroo’s quest, which reminds us of the strength of family ties and the importance of knowing one’s identity. Beautifully shot and performed, Lion will undoubtedly be considered one of the best films of 2016.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.