Lion: Garth Davis

Of all the 2016 Best Picture nominees, Garth Davis' Lion is one of the few that can legitimately claim to be a visceral visual experience. I know many people might favor the triumphant second half where adult Saroo (Dev Patel) discovers his home-town, defeats his inner demons, and reunites with his long-long mother. But the first half was my favorite. It did such a magnificent job capturing the child-like sense of terror and isolation of being in a huge, unknown world. Part of that was keeping the camera down to the ground at about a child's height. Another part of it was isolating child Saroo (Sunny Pawar) in negative, empty space in sprawling, depopulated frames. The last act of the film does feel a bit forced and cheesy...but how else could they have ended such an incredible true story? I don't know. But the visuals redeem Lion for me a thousand times over.

8/10