Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2016: Dev Patel in Lion

Dev Patel received his first Oscar nomination for his performance as Saroo Brierley in Lion.

Lion is a moving film about a 5-year-old Indian boy who gets lost far away from his home and, 25 years after being adopted by an Australian family, sets out to find his lost family. The first half is particularly effective due to the stunning cinematography, the intensely atmospheric direction and the beautifully realistic performance by newcomer Sunny Pawar. The second half is a little less effective especially due to the unnecessary romance but there are still some truly terrific scenes in it and a couple of great performances. 

This nomination is another case of category fraud: it's true that Patel doesn't appear until halfway through the movie as the first half focuses on the 5-year-old Saroo, but he still plays the central character of the movie and he carries the whole movie from the second he appears. Patel's early scenes as the grown-up Saroo are not particularly demanding as the character is depicted as a fairly normal guy, but Patel is excellent at portraying his character as just an ordinary human being. He is extremely comfortable and relaxed with the role, effectively depicting Saroo as an intelligent and friendly guy and making him immediately endearing due to how laidback and nice he is in those scenes. I'm not usually one who is particularly interested about accents but I really have to give credit to Patel for absolutely nailing the Australian accent - he sounds completely natural and there is not a single moment in which he does not pull it off. Anyway the turning point in his performance comes when Saroo sees a typical Indian food at a friends' party and memories of his mother and brother come back to his mind: Patel is terrific at portraying his character's reaction as he remember things he had buried in his mind for long and as the movie progresses he's incredibly effective at showing his increasing determination to find his family. The search scenes could have been very uninteresting if it wasn't for Patel's committed performance and he does a great job at portraying the notes of frustration when his search doesn't seem to go anywhere and the notes of joy when he makes progresses. He makes every moment of his performance count, building up beautifully to the eventual reunion. 

As I mentioned before, the romance between Saroo and Lucy (Rooney Mara) is the weakest element of the movie and I think the time that was devoted to it could have been used to explore more deeply the character of Mantosh, Saroo's adopted brother. This is not to say that Patel is bad in those scenes and he actually manages to make the most out of them: his chemistry with Mara is nothing that extraordinary really, but they make for a nice couple and they share some very cute moments as they depict the early stages of their relationship. Unfortunately though, as Saroo starts to focus on his search, he starts to isolate himself from Lucy which leads to their breakup which is an exceptionally acted scene by Patel. He is extremely affecting as he conveys so well the anguish and desperation that come from his exhausting search as well as the guilt for forgetting about his mother and brother for so many years. Saroo's and Lucy's reunion is probably not as touching as it should have been but I think the writing is more to blame for that, and Patel still has some very effective moments in which he portrays his character's undying hope with remarkable delicacy and feeling.

My favorite moments of Patel's performance though are the scenes involving his relationship with his Australian family. Patel shares a truly beautiful chemistry with David Wenham and Nicole Kidman as Saroo's adoptive parents John and Sue - there is such genuine love in their interactions and from the first moment Patel shows that he truly considers them his parents despite them not being biological. His chemistry with Kidman is particularly great as the two of them brings so much warmth and tenderness to their scenes together and Patel does a fantastic job at portraying Saroo's conflicted emotions as he fears that the news of his search would break the heart of Sue, who is already shattered by Mantosh' unstable and unpredictable behavior. This leads to the phenomenal scene in which Saroo tells Sue he's sorry she could not have her own kids: Patel is truly heartbreaking as he portrays his genuine guilt and sorrow, as well as his shock when she reveals that she could have had children but chose to adopt instead. It's Kidman's scene, but Patel adds a lot of emotional weight to the scene just with his tearful reactions to his mother's revelation. The relationship between Saroo and Mantosh is sadly a little underdeveloped, but Patel is still very good at showing the underlying affection despite his often hostile behavior towards his brother due to the pain the latter causes to their parents.

In the end Saroo finds his hometown and, after a truly heartwarming scene in which both Sue and John full heartedly support his decision to find his biological mother, travels back to India. The outcome is something we knew from the beginning, but this doesn't make Saroo's reunion with his mother any less moving: Patel brings such an incredible amount of emotional power to the scene that it's really impossible not to be moved by it. He is just amazing at portraying his joy as he finds his mother and his sister again and he and Priyanka Bose immediately find an unique, heartbreaking connection in their scene together, and then Patel is very moving at portraying his sorrow as he finds out that his brother Guddu is dead: he just blends so well both the joy and sadness of the moment and makes the ending truly unforgettable, and one that really should be seen to understand the emotional impact of it.

This is a truly terrific turn performance by Dev Patel who truly makes the most out of his character, nailing every single layer of what could have been potentially a fairly one-dimensional portrayal of determination. He carries the second half of the movie impeccably and definitely brings the emotional weight the role requires. It's a truly great performance and one of the main reasons why Lion, despite its occasional flaws, stays with you.

4.5/5