10 Films That Brilliantly Nailed Topical Issues

This Australian made Oscar nominated film explores the amazing journey undertaken by an Indian 'orphan' to track down his mother via the use of Google Earth. The intricacies of how the young boy, Saroo, achieved this and the amazing support he received from his adoptive parents is a thoroughly engaging tale. However, it is the film's phenomenal opening sequences exploring what life in an Indian slum really looks like that makes this film a classic.

The tale of five year old Saroo takes a wicked turn when he is seemingly abandoned by his older brother at a railway yard after looking for resources for the family. After Saroo accidentally falls asleep on a freight train, he finds himself in faraway Calcutta, where his nightmare truly begins.

Director Garth Davis pulls no punches in these opening sequences, with young Saroo narrowly avoiding kidnappers and sex traffickers in his arduous journey. The situation looks hopeless until he is finally saved from a local orphanage by real life saints Sue and John Brierley.

While Saroo was lucky to escape and manages to live as normal a life as possible given the circumstances, the potential horrors of the opening montage really hit home when witnessing the struggles of Saroo's adoptive brother, Mantosh. Relative unknown Divian Ladwa is incredible in realising Mantosh's inner demons, while making the audience realise that he didn't have the same luck as Saroo in avoiding the dark underbelly of the slums.