Slumdog Millionaire…
Slumdog Millionaire may very well be the best movie of 2008 that I saw. I haven’t felt that satisfied in a movie in a very long time. That moment after I saw it and the only thing I could think to say about it was “Holy that shit, that was a good movie!” Thanks in large part to the likability of the main character. I truly want him to succeed and find happiness, in despite of the hand fate dealt him. It doesn’t happen often, that I am so uniformly behind a character, but when it does it’s like an automatic first ballet induction into my film hall of fame.
Writing this review several days after seeing the film, I can help but think about some of cultural images further. I’m not sure how representative this film is of living conditions in India, but assuming it is, it shows how poverty stricken large chunks of the Indian population is. The organized homeless and general quality of life in general that are displayed through the film is very eye opening. One would think that a country as large as India would try to eliminate such conditions, but I guess they have other priorities.
Perhaps those other priorities are corruption and child slavery. What is this film saying about India and its inhabitants? Especially considering the only truly kindness that the main character encounters are white tourists who save him from a beating. I don’t know if I would be proud of this film should I be an Indian. Or maybe I would be if this is an image of the country that many do not see?
But regardless of all that, it’s still a fantastic film, which I think everyone should see.
****