There has been one film on everyone’s lips this Oscar season – perhaps more than any other – and that film is Lion. While La La Land has won people over with its glitz and glamour, its also lost others for that exact same reason. Another frontrunner, Hacksaw Ridge, has the problematic history of its director to overcome while Fences, Hell or High Water and Manchester By The Sea have the issue of just not being seen by enough people. Hidden Figures and Moonlight arguably have the most merit, but its Lion – and its universal tale – that has become the crowd favourite.
Based on a true story, it follows Saroo Brierley who as a child becomes lost on the streets of Kolkata, thousands of kilometres from home. At just five years old, he finds himself in an Indian orphanage before being adopted by an Australian couple and raised in Tasmania. Some 25 years later, Brierley was able to use Google Maps and his childhood memories to find his way back home and locate his birth mother. It’s an unbelievable and moving tale that has captured that hearts of people worldwide through the film adaptation, Lion, which has grossed over $50M at the international box-office on a $12M budget. The Aussie co-production has also found success critically, sweeping the awards circuit and earning itself six Academy Award nominations including performance nods for Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.
Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae, left), Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) in a scene from 'Hidden Figures'. Source: AAP
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact it’s up for the coveted best picture gong. And if modern history is anything to go by, a win could be on the cards. In the last six years, Academy Awards voters have shown a preference to best picture nominees based on true stories. Four of the past six winners have all fallen into this category, kicking off with The King’s Speech in 2011 (also an Aussie co-production), Argo in 2013, 12 Years A Slave in 2014 and Spotlight in 2016. It’s a significant shift from the decade of winners preceding 2010, with the exception of A Beautiful Mind being the only ‘true story’ to take away the Oscars top honour.
Yet Lion isn’t the only true story fighting for dominance in 2017’s race, with Hidden Figures and Hacksaw Ridge two other very promising contenders. The first has been a huge mainstream hit, while the second less so but Academy voters do love a) a war story and b) a Hollywood comeback. Only time will tell if Lion’s inspiring, real life account will prove triumphant when the 89th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 26 in the US (Monday, February 27 for Australians).
Andrew Garfield in a scene from Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge." Source: AAP Image/ Mark Rogers/Summit via AP
Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in the hit film Lion. Source: Transmission Films
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