Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
120 Minutes

Directed By: Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan
Written By: Simon Beaufoy
Based On The Novel By: Vikas Swarup
Staring: Dev Patel, Saurabh Shukla, Rajendranath Zutshi, Freida Pinto, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Irrfan Khan, Rubina Ali, Ankur Vikal, Tanay Chheda, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, Madhur Mittal, and Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala

I thought we would meet only in death. -Latika

Review

Wow.  What a tale of perseverance, dreaming big, and what never giving up hope can bring to the pure of heart.  Danny Boyle astounds me yet again, and takes me to a world that I’m incredibly unfamiliar with, and even more so flabbergasted by.  Sure, this is a film with a fictional story, but it was created in a real world, and one that maybe some Americans haven’t paid much attention to.  The culture, the poverty, and the lives of many that live in the Slums of India was given a face, a name, and a voice in this film.

We all know this is the story about a Slumdog in India winning their version of Millionaire, but what I didn’t realize was it was about proving that he didn’t cheat.  It seemed impossible for him to know some of the answers to the questions he did and as he is tortuously interrogated he unveils the story of his life that has allowed him to pick up some of the knowledge he has, and soon it seems clear that his destiny is to be where he is, that his whole life has led to this one point.  This made sound cliche, but it is anything but that.

Just as invigorating as the characters and their plight is the amazing cinematography.  There is something epic, yet something very personal and serene about the way the film is shot.  With a soundtrack in the back round that should by all means be more suited for a hip or action oriented film, it constantly pushes the pacing of Jamal’s explanation forward with a tension that is difficult to not get caught up in.  Between the grit and dirt, there are also some of India’s beautiful colors showcased as well.

What was most tangible was the spirit of Jamal.  Hardened by a rough life, his hope was never crushed.  What really gets me is that so many different actors played Samir, Jamal, and Latika , and yet their essence was never lost.  This is still staggering to me.  Danny Boyle was equipped with a tremendous cast, shot in it’s original location, and got his players to evoke a real sense of genuine heart from them all.  The villains were sadistic and the good guys fully empathetic.

Slumdog was so many things; inspiring, heart breaking, beautiful, and depressing, but most importantly it was a sublime story about hope, life, and enduring the hand that we are dealt.  I was cynical, but this film deserved the Best Picture Oscar.  There were some movies last year that I believe missed a deserved nomination, but everything about this movies win does make sense to me, and it’s not often that Ye Ole Academy and myself agree.  Slumdog Millionaire is an insanely wonderful movie that everyone should see.

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