issue 22 // volume 43

A long way home

> ‘Lion’ film review

Chandler Walter
Assistant Editor

kkekenknx

Conusion Misplacement. A sense
of being lost. Lion (2016) turns
what far too easily could have been a
common story of a young boy losing and
then finding his way home again into
something much more personal and real.
We follow a young Saroo (in an
outstanding performance by Sunny Pawar)
from his initial displacement to eventually
being welcomed into a loving Australian
home. Lion lingers on the younger Saroo
for longer than would be expected in
what one might have assumed to bea Dev
Patel leading movie, but it is necessary in
establishing the latter half of the film.
When Dev Patel takes the baton, it
begins with his realization that his family
is still out there, and that he may now have
the tools to find them. While his search
through Google Earth is the driving plot
of the story, there is a lot more to Lion
than a man trying to find his way home.
Lion shows the divide between cultures
and classes; between a poor, homeless
boy in the streets of India and a well-off
man living in Australia. Saroo expresses
this himself in a moment in which he is

 

    

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riddled with guilt at the thought of his
old family living in slums, still looking
for him, while he lives a life of privilege.
Lion is heavy. I would not recommend
it for a first date if having a potential crush
see you cry is something you're hoping to
avoid, but I would definitely recommend
it in any other circumstance. It is simply
a powerful story told properly, with both
Patel and Pawar doing an excellent job.
The film differs from Slumdog Millionaire
in tone—Lion being more sombre, with
hazy backgrounds and dark scenes (both
in lighting and feel)—though it does
seem familiar in its journey through
India. Patel shows a noticeable shift in
character from the earlier film, and truly
proves that he has a range to work with.
Lion was hands down the most
emotional movie I have seen in quite
awhile. It delves into the realities and
repercussions of something most of us
could barely imagine; to lose all that you
had known at five years old and be left
with only vague memories as proof of a life
once lived. Tack on the fact that it is based
ona true story, and the level of suspense
and uncertainty following Saroo as he
searches for his lost family multiplies.
I found this film to be the story that
I had expected it to be, but was delighted
to find that there was so much more.

Poster via Long Way Home Productions 2015

arts // no. 7

Sex jokes and
stylish spying

> A film review of ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ (2015)

Jan Prchal
Contributor

 

T“ Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) is
a stylish, well-shot spy film, with
comedic moments sometimes so subtle
they could almost be missed without a
theatre full of people to laugh at them.

The overall plot—which is about the
American CIA and Soviet KGB working
together to stop an international criminal
organization (controlled by underground
Nazis) from acquiring a nuclear weapon—
is not particularly original, nor especially
gripping. The other elements of the film,
however, including its period setting,
writing, and direction, lend it value as
both a comedy and an action film.

The costumes, soundtrack, and
set pieces give this film an impressively
strong period feel for an action-comedy
film, though this well-executed blend
of high production value and skillful
direction is a continuation of Guy
Ritchie’s fine work on the two Sherlock
Holmes films in 2009 and 201.

The comedic depth of the characters
is somewhat surprising. One of the two
male leads is a suave CIA agent played
by Henry Cavill with a penchant for fine
dining and a luxurious lifestyle. In one
scene, he indulges these habits without

 

bothering to assist his Russian counterpart
who is in the middle of a heated firefight
pursuit just in front of him, at least
not until it is absolutely necessary.

The film includes some deft sex
jokes that almost fly under the radar.
One example of this is a scene where the
two male protagonists are breaking into
a compound. They decide who will take
top and who will take bottom. Paired with
the preceding sexual humour and the
amusing dynamics between the two male
leads, this very subtle piece of homoerotic
humour is just one example of the type
of comedy that this film contains.

While the rivalry between the
two male leads forms the bulk of the
comic material in the film—as they
compete in combat, spying ability, sexual
conquests, and fashion sense—much
credit must be given to the female
leads as well. Alicia Vikander steals a
few scenes, particularly one where she
toys with Hammer (Illya Kuryakin) by
playing music and dancing as he tries
to concentrate on his game of chess.

If you think you would enjoy a
spy film that toys with the male ego,
and contains nicely detailed period
settings and decent comedic moments,
then The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
is definitely recommended.

Poster via Warner Brothers