Filmic Techniques
This camera technique, used frequently in the film's opening scenes, positions the camera low to the ground to show young Saroo's perspective of the world.
What is a low-angle shot?
Saroo's entire journey is driven by this theme – the deep emotional pull to know where he came from and who he truly is.
What is the theme of identity (or belonging)?
This young boy from Khandwa boards the wrong train and ends up lost thousands of kilometres from home in Kolkata.
Who is young Saroo Brierley?
The film is divided into two distinct sections: young Saroo's story in India, and adult Saroo's life in Australia. This structural device is known as a ___.
What is a two-part / bipartite narrative structure (or non-linear / dual timeline)?
In this opening scene, young Saroo and his older brother Guddu search for train cargo to sell. It establishes their poverty and close bond before tragedy strikes.
What is the opening scene where Saroo and Guddu search for work together?
Davis uses these sweeping aerial shots of the Indian subcontinent to emphasise the vastness of the land and the near-impossibility of Saroo's search.
What are aerial/drone shots (establishing shots)?
Saroo's adult memories of India are shown as these – brief, fragmented visual interruptions that intrude on the present-day narrative and reveal his trauma.The film opens in medias res with Saroo and Guddu searching for work at night. This term refers to beginning a narrative in the middle of the action.Saroo's Indian birth mother, whose unwavering love and patient waiting is revealed in the film's emotional climax and epilogue.This central theme is represented through Saroo's two mothers – his birth mother Kamla and his adoptive mother Sue – both of whom sacrifice deeply out of love for him.
What is the theme of motherhood (or love / sacrifice)?Who is Kamla (Saroo's birth mother)?What is in medias res?What are flashbacks (or intrusive memories)?
This Australian woman adopts Saroo and Mantosh, showing immense compassion, but struggles as Saroo grows increasingly distant during his search.
Who is Sue Brierley (Saroo's adoptive mother)?
The film opens in medias res with Saroo and Guddu searching for work at night. This Latin term means starting a story in the middle of the action.
What is in medias res?
In this harrowing scene, young Saroo falls asleep on a train and wakes up alone, hurtling toward Kolkata. Davis uses silence and close-ups to convey Saroo's terror and isolation.
What is the scene where Saroo gets lost on the train to Kolkata?
This editing technique, used when adult Saroo uses Google Earth, cuts rapidly between present-day satellite imagery and Saroo's fragmented childhood memories.
What is cross-cutting (or parallel editing / intercutting)?
Saroo's obsessive use of Google Earth represents this theme – the relentless human desire to find one's origins, even at great personal cost.
What is the theme of the search for home / belonging / memory?
This character is Saroo's troubled adoptive brother, whose erratic behaviour highlights the challenges of transnational adoption and unresolved trauma.
Who is Mantosh?
Saroo's adult memories of India intrude on the present-day narrative as brief, fragmented visual interruptions. This technique reveals his psychological trauma and longing.
What are flashbacks (or intrusive memories / fragmented memory)?
In this pivotal scene, adult Saroo spots an Indian sweet at a party, triggering a sensory flashback to his childhood. This moment ignites his obsessive search.
What is the scene where Saroo smells/sees jalebi and his childhood memories are triggered?
The film's colour palette shifts from warm, golden hues in Saroo's Indian childhood to cool, desaturated tones in Australia. This is an example of this filmic technique.
What is colour grading (or colour palette / cinematography)?
Saroo's divided loyalty between his adoptive Australian family and his birth Indian family explores this theme, which is central to the film's emotional conflict.
What is the theme of cultural identity / duality / displacement?
This character, played by Dev Patel, becomes consumed by the need to find his birth family, risking his relationships and mental health in the process.
Who is adult Saroo Brierley?
The film is based on this type of text, meaning it is derived from actual events and a published memoir by Saroo Brierley.
What is a true story (adapted from a memoir / autobiography)?
In this emotionally charged scene, Saroo confesses to Sue that he has been searching for his birth family. Close-up shots and non-diegetic music amplify the vulnerability of both characters.
What is the scene where Saroo confesses his search to Sue?
Composers Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka use this technique, layering non-diegetic music with silence and ambient sound to heighten the emotional weight of Saroo's journey.
What is the film score / non-diegetic sound design?
The film argues that modern technology, specifically this application, can be a powerful tool for healing trauma and reconnecting with the past.
What is Google Earth (and the theme of technology and human connection)?
Saroo's Indian birth mother, whose unwavering love and patient waiting across decades is revealed in the film's emotional climax and epilogue.
Who is Kamla (Saroo's birth mother)?
The film's climax, in which Saroo finally locates his hometown via Google Earth, is an example of this narrative moment where the protagonist achieves their central goal.
What is the resolution (or climax / denouement)?
The film's most emotionally powerful scene: Saroo returns to Khandwa and is reunited with his birth mother Kamla. Davis uses a long take and swelling non-diegetic score to capture this moment without dialogue.
What is the reunion scene where Saroo finds his birth mother Kamla in India?