New film ‘Lion' important to adoptive mother Nicole Kidman
LOS ANGELES - The recent film "Lion" follows the remarkable and true story of Saroo Brierley, who was separated from his family in India at the age of five. Trying to navigate his way back home, he jumped on a train but instead found himself further away and eventually in an orphanage where he was later adopted by a couple in Australia. Decades later, Saroo sets out to track down his birth mother.
The film was important to Nicole Kidman who plays Sue Brierley, Saroo's adoptive mother. She has two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise -- 23-year-old Isabella and 21-year-old Connor. She also has two biological children with husband Keith Urban -- 8-year-old Sunday and 5-year-old Margaret.
She told CNN, "There's women that adopt because that's what they've come to. There's women that adopt because that's the vision that they had, which was Sue. There's women that adopt because suddenly something happens in the family. Like in my family, my mother's cousin became her sister because her mother adopted her because her family passed away. So there are so many different ways in which adoption plays out, and I'm just glad to show one side of it."
Kidman drew on her own experiences during filming and how it is close to her heart, telling Town & Country for their December/January issue, "[My character] Sue is deeply maternal and full of unconditional love, which is beautiful. That's why I wanted to do it. I relate to that...I feel that for my own children who are adopted. It's not about anything else other than 'I wanted you.' It's that deep and personal, and whatever your journey is, I'm here to love and support you. That's what I connected to."
Not everyone gets a movie made about their lives, but for every adopted child and the families opening their homes and hearts -- it can be a remarkable and rewarding journey.
The film's director, Garth Davis told Hollywood Reporter, "The film proves that despite anyone's background or country they come from, if you love them, then that is their home."
The film opens just as National Adoption Awareness Month comes to a close, and is among the many heartfelt stories about families redefining family.
Watch the video to see how one Florida woman is doing her part to fight the crisis in the United States.