Viewers only have a few weeks left to watch 'profound' Oscar-nominated film for free

Released in 2016, the Australian biographical film Lion was based on the memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley.

Starring Dev Patel, it told the true story of how Brierley set out to find his family 25 years after losing them in India.

The emotional story followed how the then five-year-old fell asleep at a train station, lost his brother and was then unable to find his way home.

He eventually ended up at an orphanage after police were unable to track down his family and he was later adopted by an Australian couple, who then raised him in Tasmania. As an adult Saroo used Google Earth to try and find his biological family – with jaw-dropping results.

Lion also starred Rooney Mara as Saroo’s girlfriend Lucy and David Wenham and Nicole Kidman as his adoptive parents John and Sue.

The film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for six Oscars and five Baftas. At the box office it also drew in $140 (£111) million worldwide and became one of the highest-grossing Australian films of all time.

In its review The Hollywood Reporter said the film was ‘as enthralling as it is emotional’.

‘Let’s just say if you are human, there is no way that Lion won’t move you,’ RogerEbert.com shared.

‘See it and I promise your own heart will skip a beat with happiness and joy,’ The Observer added.

Meanwhile viewers called it ‘profound’, ‘heart wrenching’ and ‘near perfect’.

However, for fans of the movie – or those yet to tune in – there’s only a few weeks to do so. Lion is currently available to watch for free on Channel 4 but will be taken down in just under a month, with the streaming service currently showing there’s only 27 days left to watch it.

Dev, who is also best known for roles in Skins, Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, previously said he was in a ‘ball of tears’ when he first read the script for Lion and discovered Saroo’s ‘inspiring story’.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2017 he also spoke about getting into the mindset to play such an emotionally charged role.

‘I’m 26 and, like most actors my age, hungry to show emotional range. This role enabled me to play a character suffering real pain, a change from the scripts that want you as a funny sidekick. It took eight months to prepare,’ he said.

‘I wanted to commit every fibre of my being to getting it right. I had to bulk up, grow my hair, learn the accent.’

Lion is streaming on Channel 4.