![]() They probably put approximately 2,000 kids on tape across three different cities, and they would send all of the tapes to me and to Garth. It was the old method, really, going to schools and finding kids who wanted to audition, and then they would send all of the tapes to me. ![]() ![]() But we hired Tess, who then put together a team of people who went out on foot to schools - we traveled to New Delhi, to Mumbai, and to Punna, and went to dozens and dozens of schools and put kids on tape in the schools. In Australia it’s a lot easier - you can do community casting through social media and people come to you. Garth wanted to turn over every stone that we possibly could. We interviewed a couple of local casting people and we hired Tess Joseph, who’s a fantastic casting director in Mumbai. Ultimately, that meant we were going to have to go through schools. We weren’t going to be able to search everywhere, because we knew that we needed to find a child who had papers, basically, because we knew we’d have to get him a visa to shoot in Australia. Kirsty McGregor: Firstly, we were aware of the pitfalls of casting in India. Casting Saroo was one of the first tasks that faced director Garth Davis and casting director Kirsty McGregor as they prepared to shoot fortunately, the four-month search turned up Sunny Pawar, one of the breakout stars of the year in film. To adapt Saroo Brierley’s autobiography A Long Way Home - which tells the story of how Brierley was separated from his family at the age of 5, and eventually found his way back as an adult - into a movie, you’d need a child who could convincingly portray a complex human experience, including feelings of loneliness, grief, confusion, and fear. In theory, the act of casting Lion seems like a herculean feat. Still, it's a very well-made film with good acting and visuals - just don't expect to be inspired.Photo: Mark Rodgers/Long Way Home Productions 2015 The final leg of the journey through the Himalayas almost seems rushed compared to the bloated second act. In fact character development across the board is quite lacking, and watching the plot unfold, with the knowledge of the outcome of the story already provided in the opening titles - the narrative becomes quite arbitrary and the story doesn't always sustain interest. Harris bring a certain integrity to his role in a rather unshowy performance with not much character introspection (I can see why his Oscar buzz has disappeared). As the film wears on, the struggle to survive intensifies, particular when they reach the Ghobi desert - the scenes are very well done but viewing becomes quite grueling. The cinematography is serviceable but hardly spectacular - capturing a harsh, arid landscape as opposed to Malick-like celebration of nature. Emoting with a flawless Polish accent (almost like a mini-Streep) her character is one of the more compelling and layered and gives this emerging young actress a chance to display her skills. The film picks up however once Saoirse Ronan enters the picture and her youthful feminine presence brings an interesting dynamic. The group scavenge for food, even fighting off wolves for the carcass of an animal at one point - but the constant bickering and relentless doom and gloom does begin to wear. It's tough viewing for the most part but there is a surprising amount of comic relief along the way, provided chiefly by Colin Farrell's salty character. It follows a group of escaped prisoners from a Siberian gulag in 1940 as they brave the treacherous wilderness of Asia for freedom from the Soviet regime. Peter Weir's first film in seven years is another exercise in sturdy direction with strong social themes running through it - recalling many of his previous works in style and content.
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