"Lion" bears the hallmarks of its Oscar aspirations: a true-life story, a child adrift in a big scary world, an against-all-odds-search for family and home, and a heart-warming reunion, as well as high-profile cast members Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara (Oscar nominee for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and 2015's Carol) and Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel fame. Delivered in two distinct parts, the film, however, loses momentum in its second half, slipping into sentimental predictability.