Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) celebrates the power of love to overcome all obstacles. Driven by his love for a girl he meets when he is only eight years old, a young boy dedicates his life to finding her after he and his brother escape the clutches of a child abuser who pimps street kids for money. 

Knowing that she loves watching a TV game show and using his childhood experiences to answer difficult questions, he enters the Indian version of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ contest so that she will be able to see him on television and thereby find each other.  

This story is so well told with such bold and authentic visual style and the most adorable children, that it will totally capture your heart.

My favorite types of stories are those positive, uplifting, hero adventure stories where the hero must struggle against all odds; corruption, and criminals, to find a loved one or to restore something that was lost or stolen. The hero must survive the loss of loved ones, or enslavement to fight against those that would destroy him and his world.

Slumdog Millionaire has all these epic elements and tells its story with great uplifting enthusiasm. But this film has so much more going for it. Besides the brilliant, extremely frenetic cinematography and authentic locations in one of the biggest and most vibrant slums in Mumbai India, and the rapid and frantic editing, it tells the story of our hero Jamal, a boy from the slums of Mumbai who is accused of cheating on the Indian version of the game show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’

We follow three characters at three different stages of life and cut between three stories. As Jamal is being interrogated in one story he must explain how from his life experiences he comes to know the answers to the difficult questions he has been asked on the game show.

The film cuts wildly from the game show questions to Jamal’s life growing up in the slums to the interrogation by the police with a wonderful mix of exhilarating Bollywood music by A.R. Rahman and Sri Lankan singer MIA. 

But the film is no sentimental melodrama like most Bollywood films. This film feels as immediate and realistic as a documentary by putting the viewer right in the middle of the gritty action, and is full of suspense and action packed with chase sequences and near escapes. There is so much to see in the film that I enjoyed my second viewing even more than the first time, as I was able to appreciate and wonder at how some of the sights were achieved.

What really stands out in this film, is its positive spirit and the people’s exuberance for life in the overcrowded bustling city of Mumbai and India. The hero’s determination to find the woman he loves and to be a winner in her eyes is what keeps us hooked in the story.

This is a rare film that seems to bring together, and orchestrates all these elements effortlessly, despite the amazing things we are seeing. It’s no wonder it has won every award going. This is one movie I am looking forward to seeing again on Blu-ray.

Based on the Novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup and adapted for the screen by Simon Beaufoy it was wonderfully directed by British director Danny Boyle who previously directed such movies as Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Millions, and Sunshine.

The name Slumdog is a hybrid of the word Underdog and the Slums where the story takes place and where the hero Jamal grows up with his older brother Salim. Non actors where used to portray young versions of our hero and two of the children are actually from the slums of Mumbai.

All nine kids from the film were flown to Los Angeles to attend the Oscars where Slumdog Millionaire won all the major prizes including best Picture. Upon their return to Mumbai the Indian Government has offered the two kids from the slums and their parents a permanent residence paid for by the Government because they have done India proud.

Awards:

- 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing , Sound Mixing, Score, and Song

- 7 Bafta Awards including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Music, and Sound.

- 4 Golden Globes including Best Picture Drama, Director, Screenplay, and Original Score

- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

- Writers Guild of America for Best Adapted Screenplay

- Director’s Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement

- Producer’s Guild of America for Best Picture

- American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film

- American Society of Cinematographers for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

- Art Director’s Guild for Excellence in Production Design in Contemporary films

- British Independent Film Awards for Best British Independent Film, Director, and Most Promising Newcomer – Dev Patel

- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Picture, Director, Writer, Composer, and Young Actor under 21 – Dev Patel

- Satellite Awards for Best Motion Picture Drama, Director, and Original Score.

- National Board of Review Awards for Best Film, Adapted Screenplay, and Breakthrough Performance Male – Dev Patel

- New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Cinematography

- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Director.

- The People’s Choice Award for most popular film at the Toronto Film Festival.

- The list goes on…

JP

Film critics: Are they relevant?

There is such a huge gap between the average film-goer and the film critic today, not only in the amount of films that they watch on average, but also the way in which films are watched and the reason they watch them.

The film critic watches hundreds of films a year, a lot of which they’re not interested in seeing but they have to see as part of their job. Because they see so many films, they will often get enthusiastic about a film just because it is somehow unique and unusual; different from the average Hollywood mainstream that they see so much of.

But the average film-goer may only see 5 to 10 movies a year, and he will only see the ones that interest him or her. And what may be considered old hat or mainstream to a critic, may be quite new or interesting to the film-goer who has not seen that type of movie before.

The majority of film-goers are watching movies only for entertainment purposes. They just want to laugh and have some excitement or an adrenalin rush to temporarily distract them. They are not going to a film to be educated or exposed to new ideas or cultures, whereas the critic is always analyzing the film for something deep and meaningful underlying the surface, although many times it may not always be there.

The average film-goer will never read a review to determine if he should see a movie. The only criterion for him that matters is the Ad Campaign for the film. If the Advertising Campaign (Poster, or Trailer) draws his attention and it caters to his interests, he will see the film regardless of any reviews.

Even if the film-goer does inadvertently run across a movie review the only thing that will get his attention is the Star rating it was given. But even that may not influence his decision to see a particular film. Film-goers are probably more influenced by their friends and relatives who have seen the film, than by a film critic.

The other reason the average film-goer will not read a film review is simply because they don’t want to spoil the experience of being surprised while watching a film. Reviews give far too much information about a film that is not relevant to know before seeing the film and can spoil the experience.

Film-goers on average have a taste for a particular type of film and they seldom stray from their preferences. For example some people are only interested in seeing romantic comedies, and also have preferences for particular actors. Some people are only interested in suspense crime thrillers, and others are into musicals. A film review will not change that preference.

I believe that the only time the film critic has some influence with the general public is at the end of the year, when every critic announces their TOP 10 Best films of the year list. During this ritual the film critic has the ability to bring some good films to light that may have been overlooked or ignored by the general public. Some good examples of such films are Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Head-On, United 93, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Queen, Babel, No Country for Old Men, and There will be Blood.

At other times film critics may have an influence only when they are unanimously giving an overwhelming endorsement of a film that the media picks up on and starts to drive the momentum. The public then becomes more aware of the film as something special to see even if it doesn’t quite fit their preference. Some examples of this type of situation are My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Full Monty, Chicago, Lost in Translation, Hairspray, Little Miss Sunshine, or Juno.

Other times that the film critic has an influence is when they are unanimously and overwhelmingly negative to a particular film. Then the film becomes known through the media as something so bad, it should be avoided at all costs and is a complete waste of time. Victims of overwhelmingly bad publicity are films like Alexander, Battlefield Earth, Gigli, and Elektra to name a few.

JP