Adoption and Belonging: A Film Analysis of Societal Issues & Identity

This essay delves into the themes of adoption and belonging as portrayed in a film, examining the societal issues and individual identity crises that arise. It explores the desire of adoptees to connect with their biological families, even when raised in comfortable environments. The analysis covers society's varying opinions on adoption, from concerns about bonding to recognizing its benefits for both parents and children. The essay highlights the film's message that a fulfilling adoption experience can coexist with a longing for biological roots, emphasizing the balance between suffering and blessing inherent in adoption. Examples from the film illustrate societal negligence towards lost children and the protagonist's struggle with identity, culminating in a search for his origins using Google Earth, underscoring the film's commentary on identity and belonging.

1. What is the issue you can find in the movie?
The issue revolving around the movie is adoptive relationship and the question of belonging to the
society who have neglected the child development and left them at the mercy of nature to survive the
peril of the same. It shows how many adoptees that even though live in comfortable homes, educated
properly and are financially protected have a very strong desire to know about their biological parents
because a sense of belonging is not developed with their adopted parents.
2. What is society's opinion of this issue?
Society opinion on adoption differs from person to person, since each individual may have its own share
of experience and preconception on the said issue. Some of the negative opinion that we hear are the
adoptive child has less bonding with the adoptive parents than the biological parents or if the child
genes are such that he develops behavioral issues in his adolescence then the adoption becomes a
trauma for the adoptive parents. However, there are some positive aspects too, such as the adoption
benefits both the parents and the child by fulfilling each one’s desire, help orphan child get better living
and education and contribute to the economy.
3. What is the movie trying to say about this issue?
The movie is trying to say that even a pleasing, satisfying and rewarding adoption experience is
compatible with the issue of belonging, the belonging to reunite with the biological family, the
belonging to know who your biological mother is, where are they and how are they even though you
may be in a situation far better than you can think of had you not being adopted.
The movie also speaks about how in life we balance sufferings and blessing in the form of adoption that
can also be so confusing for one. The fear of being missing sends you a shiver down your spine, the
uncertainty of your whereabouts is the major worries coupled with people whom you meet during the
same may not think beneficial for you, how do you best get out of the situation, fight with it and believe
that post all these sufferings you may be blessed with something good in life.
4. Do you agree with the moviemaker's stand?
Yes I strongly agree with the moviemaker’s stand on adoption and the belonging themes which revolves
around the character Saroo who has gone through all the sufferings and post being adopted by
Australian couple and living a comfortable life had a sense of not belonging to the place and was
desperate to search his biological mother and his place from where he actually belongs to.

5. Examples from the movie
The film is divided into two halves, the first one follows the younger Saroo who find himself alone and
lost in the city of Calcutta.
In one particular scene in first half where he is standing at the ticket counter and tries to obtain a ticket
to his hometown which he remembers as "Ginestalay" but the person doesn’t recognizes the name of
the town and neither he helps saroo in recognizing the town which shows society negligence to the child
who are lost and left to survive on their own.
In another example, we see saroo telling his friends in the hospitality school that he is not Indian and has
always supported Australia in cricket matches. He meets his love name Lucy and they fall in love with
each other. The turning point sets in when at one night party, he goes into the kitchen and finds jalebi,
an Indian dish, in another moment memories flash into his mind about his village, mother and brother.
He suddenly feels an urge to know his identity that again brings out the moviemaker’s stand on
belonging and identity crisis face in adoption. Fortunately, for Saroo, his girlfriend introduces him to
Google earth and he uses it to try to track down the town he belongs to.