Lion

Lion 

Rating 6.5 out of 10

This is not normally a movie I would go see, but since it was nominated for an Oscar and I have barely seen any of the films I thought I'd give it a try.  The movie is based on the real life story of Saroo.  A five year old boy in rural India that is so poor his mum carries rocks for a job.  Saroo and his older brother do what they can to help out including digging thru trash cans for food and stealing coal off of moving train.  One night while out with his brother he is left on a bench as his brother goes looking for goods.  Saroo crawls into a vacant train to stay warm and falls asleep.  When he wakes up he finds himself on an express train with no stops for 1500 kilometers.  When he finally gets off the train he has no idea where he is or where is is from.  When asked his moms name he says Mum.

Saroo spends time in some not so great orphanages and narrowly misses being abducted before he is adopted by a very nice white couple from Australia.  Flash forward twenty years and he is living the good life in Australia and leaving for college.  He starts to have flashbacks from his childhood and with the help of Google Earth begins to search for his lost mum and brother.

If you saw Slumdog Millionaire this movie makes it seem like a cheerful Disney cartoon.  It is a little slow and very depressing to see the poor little kids digging through trash cans looking for something to eat.  The acting is very good.  Dev Patel is nominated for Best Actor as the older Saroo.  He won't win but the nomination is warranted.

This is the type movie that garners Oscar nominations.  I was entertained although I would not want to sit through it again even with the good ending that will make your eyes water.