I watched the film Lion last night with some friends and can’t stop thinking about it. It is based off of the biography of Saroo Brierley, A Long Way Home. We follow the story of a young Indian boy who becomes separated from his family and lost miles and miles away from home without a soul to help him find his way back. He is placed in an orphanage, and after a fruitless search to find his family, is then adopted by a couple from Australia.
Here is one of my favorite scenes. Don’t worry, no spoilers here.
Saroo is with a gathering of his Indian college friends in their home and goes to the kitchen to get a beer. On the way back he seems some jalebis, a bright red fried Indian dessert, on the counter. He has a flashback to being with his older brother Guddu in the town market where there are hot sizzling jalebis being made. As his girlfriend and friend walk in, they ask if he is ok. He seems frozen in time and says,
“I’m not from Calcutta… I’m lost.”
This ushers in the heart of the story, as Saroo begins his journey to find his original home, his biological family and ultimately, his place.
This film was beautifully and artfully made. I was impressed with the casting, especially Sunny Pawar (who played Young Saroo) whose eyes spoke so much, Dev Patel (who played grown up Saroo, whom you may remember from Slumdog Millionaire) and Nicolle Kidman (who played Saroo’s adoptive mother). The soundtrack is mostly instrumental and adds to the raw emotion of the protagonist’s searching. The camera frequently panned from Saroo’s past recollections to his current realities seamlessly and without fadeouts as if his mother and him were in the same place. I felt like I was in his head, experiencing his journey to reconcile two vastly different and fractured realities. Much of the dialogue is in Hindi and Bengali with English subtitles. The language paired with the amazing cinematography opened my eyes to the beauty of India, so much so that I found myself wanting to go there.
The most poignant part of the story to me was seeing how vulnerable Saroo was as a child lost in Calcutta and cut off from the protection of his family. Multiple scenes in the film alluded to the sobering reality of child trafficking. One woman we witness in the story as the first person to notice lost Saroo and show him compassion. She befriends him, takes him in, feeds him, bathes him and clothes him. Only for us to find out that she has picked him up in order to pass him on to a man who will use him for some purpose of child labor trafficking or sex trafficking. This was one of three very memorable scenes related to this issue that was heartbreaking to witness.
I would encourage you to watch the film, if you haven’t already seen it. It’s a moving, engaging and compelling story. I hope I have told you enough to get you interested, but not too much to spoil it for you. 🙂 It’s on Netlflix, so get on your account, or find a friend to watch it with that has one.
I also want to encourage you to something deeper.
Human trafficking is a reality that is more rampant than this film could possibly address. More than 45 million people are trapped in slavery right now. India in particular is estimated by some sources to have more slaves than anywhere else in the world. According to the International Justice Mission, “While India has strong laws against both sex trafficking and forced labor, historically, these anti-slavery laws have not been enforced, and traffickers and slave owners have exploited children, women and men with impunity.”
International Justice Mission is an organization that is a voice for the vulnerable. They are doing something about this woe of our time that cannot be ignored. As this is a complex issue, they are tackling it holistically. They work with local police to rescue victims, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors and strengthen justice systems. More on this here.
Often when we see yet another issue plaguing our time we get what researchers call “compassion fatigue.” We see so many horrible things in the news, and maybe in front of our eyes that we begin to feel tired of caring. We feel to paralyzed to take any action or advocate. I ask that you take time to enter in to this one issue, and let yourself feel. Care. And act.
Would you join me with a $25 gift to IJM’s work in India? If even just 7 of you join me in giving, we will be able to provide access to medical care for a survivor of sexual abuse.
That is the price of a nice meal out with a tip. Or 5 lattes. For a small sacrifice we who are privileged with freedom can impact those who are in slavery.
Click here to learn more about IJM and to give.
Thanks for letting me share this journey with you. I would like to challenge you to be a part in other ways but more on that later. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me!
“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24
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