Slumdog Millionaire

I had heard so much buzz about Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" that I really wanted to see it, especially after seeing this trailer:



Unfortunately, I heard there were a police interrogation scene and I was a bit consumed with worry about whether I could watch it. I'm one of those people who cannot, CANNOT, watch torture. I know, I know, it means I've missed out on some great movies, such as "The Last King of Scotland". Turns out, the interrogation was one of the easier scenes to watch.

The brutal slum life, on the other hand, was harder to stomach. I'm not just talking about the ease that someone's life could end, but the habitats nested in garbage and filth, the desperate hustle for money, and the wide disparity between poverty and comfortable living. A part of me was torn between wanting to ease the life of these "slumdogs" and hoping Mumbai would get a comprehensive recycling system.

Anyhoo, the art is in the storytelling and Boyle does a great job. It's a pretty fantastic story to begin with and the young actors playing them as children and adolescents bring it to life. Boyle arrestingly weaves misery and joy, precious and cheap, principles and compromise, hope and cruelty, both visually and aurally. The only disappointment to me were the actors playing the despairing love interests as adults. The storyline makes you want to root for nice, principled Jamal, but Dev Patel plays him with a stoic, inoffensive reserve that does little for me than say, he's a nice guy...yeah, okay...he deserves a nice girlfriend. The woman playing Latika is ridiculously gorgeous so I was surprised that I didn't feel a bigger spark of chemistry between the two. The two were quite sufficient in their roles but darn, after the outstanding performances by the kids and youths, it was a touch of a letdown.

Overall the story is magic. Harrowing at times, especially watching the hard lives of those in poverty and the exploitation of such children, but the story is shared so wonderfully, that you realize that winning the big gameshow pot doesn't really matter, that there is a difference between living and being alive, that love and hope matters. You walk out valuing the bites of joy and sunshine life gives you. And wanting to go home and hug your children and telling them how precious they are to you.