Every six minutes, a child in India goes missing. Some children, like Saroo in the movie Lion, are separated from their home and are forced to live on the harsh streets. In the movie directed by Garth Davis, we are told the remarkable story of a young boy who gets isolated from his family and adopted by a couple in Australia. Twenty-five-years later, he works to reunite with his lost loved ones. What makes this movie even more astounding is the fact that it is based on a true story.
      As we are brought to the small town of Ganetsalay in India, we meet Saroo, a 6-year-old boy. Saroo gets separated from his older brother on a train and ends up 14 hours away in Calcutta. There he faces hardships like trying to find food to survive and searching for shelter, before he is taken in by an orphanage. Soon after, a family from Australia adopts him. As an adult, he has vivid memories of his family back in India and he spends months trying to find his former home. This movie not only tells the heartwarming story of an unfortunate young boy, but highlights the importance of family.
     The stimulating visuals and realistic sounds in Lion make you feel as if you are there in India, experiencing all of this in person. There is not much dialogue but when there is, most of it is in Hindi or Bengali. There are captions in English but by hearing the language and dialects they speak in India, we are placed in the scene and the movie is even more impactful. The life like sounds make up for the lack of dialogue though. We can hear the ring of religious calls being amplified on the streets of Calcutta and the fluttering of butterfly wings as they surround Saroo. Even the delicate, soft golden color of the wings can be seen due to the amazing graphics. The movie has outstanding camera work and action shots, allowing us to enjoy this tear-jerking story. 
    The cast plays a vital role in making this movie as amazing as it is. Many of the cast members were genuine and emotional in their acting, which created a character you empathized with. Dav Patel, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, and Sunny Pawar were featured in this movie and play outstanding parts. Even with casting, the producer (Garth Davis) made sure to pick actors he knew would play the roles with passion. In an interview with Film Courage, Davis said: “I needed people to connect to the story in a way that I felt would honor the film… They had to be very passionate about the story.”  The cast also helped the movie flow well and cleanly, allowing each scene to be the perfect length and go at an ideal speed. Even for the longer scenes that contained more action, they always left you anticipating the next moment. Each part is meaningful and relates to the plot, which is crucial to a movie that tells such an important story.
   Lion will bring tears to your eyes with its extremely emotional and eye opening scenes. Not only will it leave you sobbing at the heart breaking events, but it will tug at your emotions and make you hope that Saroo gets the happy ending he deserves. After watching the movie, you’ll hope to never get separated from the ones you love like Saroo did.