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‘Slumdog’: A Fine Little Movie
By Kevin Justus
Saturday, January 24, 2009
“Slumdog Millionaire” a Cinderella story set in India, details the story of an Indian orphan “slumdog”—a beggar and petty criminal angling for survival.
The lead character, Jamal, using knowledge gleaned from working at a call center as a gopher, manages to get on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”.
And then he starts to win. The movie—recently nominated for 10 Oscars—opens after he’s answered the 10 million rupee question. Believed to be cheating by the host, he’s turned over to the police who beat and interrogate him to get him to confess how he knew the answers to all the questions.
Then the boy explains the painful lessons his life has taught him that has led him to winning 10 million rupees.
The movie is a sweet little picture—the budget was a modest $14 million—directed by Danny Boyle, director of “Trainspotting” and “28 Days Later,” and co-directed by Loveleen Tandan, whose most well-known work in America is “The Namesake.”
I’ve never seen any of Tandan’s films, but Boyle’s touch is all over the film, from the color washes (which serve as mood indicators, and in this film, sometimes even plot spoilers—paying attention to the background colors can actually be used to determine the outcome of key scenes) to the quick jump cuts seen in “Trainspotting” and other films. A feces visual seems like it’s straight out of “Trainspotting” as well.
A big difference, however, is the general sweetness this movie holds.
Unlike other rags to riches tales, Jamal’s life isn’t portrayed as all bad: The opening scene shows a sequence where he and other boys in the neighborhood plan cricket on the tarmac of a nearby airport. Chased off by police, Jamal and the other children flee gleefully through the streets. The scene serves to show a happy time in Jamal’s life and outline the relationship he has with his brother, Salim.
While things go south from this point the movie constantly reminds us of the general optimism Jamal carries with him, which gives clues as to why the young man we’re introduced to would even think to go on a television show.
Later in the movie, we learn Jamal—despite circumstances—fell in love with a girl as a child and is hoping to reach her again through the show.
And of course—spoiler ahead—it all works out in the end, which may be my only complaint with the film.
Despite the slightly pat ending, “Slumdog Millionaire” is well worth watching.
Bonus: Watch for the Bollywood-style dance number after the credits. Seems you can’t make an Indian movie, even one with a British co-director, without one.
—Steven Jones
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