#Lion a long way home movie#

In Saroo’s memoir, he protects his mother from his attempts to find his birth mother in fear that he is going to hurt her.

In particular, the character of Sue Brierley is given new life in the movie. And while Lioncertainly toes that line, writer Luke Davies keeps the focus on the character’s emotional journey rather than the physical one. The issue with a lot of movies based on incredible true stories is that the focus of the emotion is on plot, rather than character. However, it’s also one that could easily be exploited for its emotional beats. The journey Saroo takes is an incredible one. While the story has the plot of a Lifetime movie, it is true, yet improbable as it sounds. Twenty years later as an adult ( Dev Patel), Saroo decides to use Google Earth to find his long-lost family. Eventually, he is taken into an orphanage and is adopted by an Australian family, Sue ( Nicole Kidman) and John ( David Wenham). For months he must fend for himself by eating scraps of food and taking shelter under bridges. After two days on the train, being carried away from his mother, two brothers, and sister, he finds himself in Calcutta (modern-day Kolkatta). While following his older brother to a neighboring town, he becomes trapped in a train carriage. Liontells the true story of Saroo Brierley ( Sunny Pawar), a boy who grew up as poor as one could in India - begging for scraps of food, caring for his young sister while his mother does hard labor. However, Davis’ vision of Saroo’s journey is simultaneously devastating, yet filled with beauty, both human and cinematic. Lion could have easily fallen into the idealistic cookie cutter crowdpleaser category.

He simply wasn’t equipped with the talent to translate his too-good-to-be-true story onto the page. That’s not to fault the book’s author and subject Saroo Brierley.

#Lion a long way home movie#

This young reader’s edition of his book has been edited so that it is perfect for fans of true life stories aged 10 plus.Lion is one of the few inspirational true stories that translates beautifully on screen thanks to director Garth Davis and a strong performance by Dev PatelĪ Long Way Home, the book that the movie Lionis based on, is essentially devoid of emotion. Dan Slevin gave the film an excellent review on Radio New Zealand. Currently on at New Zealand cinemas, it's receiving rave reviews and has been nominated for six Academy Awards. The recent movie of Saroo’s amazing story has been adapted from his 2014 autobiography A Long Way Home and stars Dev Patel, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman. After years of searching he finally discovered his home town and, 25 years after leaving India, he returned to find his mother and siblings. With the advent of Google Earth, he now had satellite images to search in an effort to find landmarks near his Indian home that he might recognise. He had a very happy childhood but always wondered about his origins and spent hours poring over a map of India. Not knowing the name of his family or where he was from, he survived for weeks on the streets of Kolkata, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a family in Australia. Saroo Brierley became lost on a train in India at the age of five when he was separated from his older brother. And one day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for.Then he set off on a journey back to India to see if he could find his mother.This inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds is now a major motion picture starring Dev Patel, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman.This edition has been specially edited for younger readers who want to discover Saroo's extraordinary story for themselves. He pored over satellite images on Google Earth seeking out landmarks he recognised. He spent hours staring at the map of India on his bedroom wall. Not knowing the name of his family or where he was from, he survived for weeks on the streets of Kolkata, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a family in Australia.Despite being happy in his new home, Saroo always wondered about his origins. Print Lion: A Long Way Home Young Readers' EditionĬan you imagine being lost and not finding your way home again?Saroo Brierley became lost on a train in India at the age of five.