Slum Dog Millionaire
Who knew there was a version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in India? I certainly didn’t. Slumdog Millionaire takes us on a journey of a street kid who finds his way onto the show and is one question away from the grand prize when the show ends and he has to come back the next day. As he walks out the studio door, he is arrested for cheating and has to explain how he knows the answers to these questions. The answers are found in his life story, which turns out to be both touching and dramatic.
I really liked this movie. Also, it’s a movie that I think over time, I will like even more. Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) was able to use the flashbacks to tell the story of an orphaned kid on the streets of Mumbai without it looking cumbersome or distracting. Dev Patel, who plays the present day Jamal Malik is a fresh new face, and hopefully, will keep finding work in Hollywood as well as Bollywood.
While the story captured my attention right away, the photography of the movie, filmed on location, was very moving. We really don’t know what poverty is here in the good ole USA. The slums of Mumbai make our ghettos look like Beverly Hills. Boyle was able to show us this world without ever seeming to preach to us. This just happened to be the life our lead character led. Yes, it is part of him and of course it influences his life, but the scenes of extreme poverty are never gratuitous nor self-serving.
In the end, the surprise of this movie is the love story between two unlucky young people who seem destined to remain apart. I really cared for these characters, and even now, I wonder what happened to them after the credits rolled. This is a sign of a good movie. I can’t say I ever had that, wait, this is just a movie moment. Do you know what I mean? When you are taken out of the moment and shown back to your chair by a bad actor or poorly directed shot. This movie was well made from start to finish. I highly recommend it.
