The 2016 film Lion, based on the remarkable true story of Saroo Brierley, will be broadcast on Film4 tonight. The movie has been described by viewers as both 'heartbreaking' and 'wonderful', with some calling it one of the best films they have ever seen.
Dev Patel stars as Saroo, who at the age of five becomes separated from his family in India. After surviving alone in Kolkata, he is adopted by an Australian couple. As an adult, Saroo uses Google Earth in a determined effort to locate his biological family, a quest that blends heartbreak and hope.
The cast also includes Sunny Pawar as young Saroo, Nicole Kidman as his adoptive mother, David Wenham as his adoptive father, and Rooney Mara, Abhishek Bharate, Divian Ladwa, Priyanka Bose and Deepti Naval.
Upon release, Lion received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Dev Patel won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor, and the film also took the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay. Kidman was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Fans have shared their emotional reactions on Rotten Tomatoes. One wrote: 'Possibly the most stunning and heartbreaking and engaging story of the century.' Another said: 'Amazing…one of the best movies I have ever seen. An utterly wonderful, wonderful film.' One adopted viewer noted the film captured 'the duality of adoption: the joy and the loss, the belonging and the questions that never fully go away.'
