Lion

India, 1986.  Saroo (Sunny Pawar) worships his older brother, Guddu.  He insists on going to work with Guddu and Guddu reluctantly acquiesces.  However, the 5 year-old Saroo is too tired to do anything so Guddu leaves him on a bench at the train station with a stern "Stay here."  A few hours later, Saroo wakes up and started looking for his brother on an empty train.  Not finding him, Saroo falls asleep on the train.  When he wakes up, the train is on its way across India.  Stranded in Calcutta, Saroo is eventually put in an orphanage.  Soon thereafter, he is adopted by an Australian couple, Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John Brierley.

 

Australia, 2008.  Saroo (Dev Patel) is taking classes to learn about hotel management.  Some students are of Indian descent and spark his memories.  It is suggested that he use Google Earth to locate his home.  Once on the path, it consumes him.  He must find his birth mother and let her know that he is alive and well.  It is a foregone conclusion that he finds her.  It is then that he learns his name is not Saroo but Sheru.  Sheru means Lion.

 

The movie spends too much time on side stories that go nowhere.  Saroo spends a considerable amount of time and effort to ruin his relationship with Lucy (Rooney Mara), the film's love interest.  She is often the voice of reason that he unreasonably ignores.  Then there is his brother, Mantosh, who has behavioral problems.  These are tacked-on opportunities for emotional conflict that do not advance the main plot.  It's just filler.

 

The adventures of young Saroo are far more entertaining and engaging than adult Saroo.  Rather than splitting the movie in half, one for young and the other for adult, maybe two thirds for young and the rest for adult.  Really, Google Earth can only entertain for so long.

 

Wait to see it on Netflix.