Rating of
4/4
It Is Written, So It Shall Be
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/24/09
A lot of the times when a film garners awards and praise it is either A) A critical darling, good enough for the film snobs, but too artsy for the average person, B) A spectacle of such epic proportions you cannot escape its grasp (ala Titanic, Return of the King) C) A star-studded ensemble that makes Hollywood drool.
Slumdog Millionaire is none of these, thought those who haven’t seen it might think it qualifies as the A answer. Despite a limited release, Slumdog manages to be a great success without special effects, without big-name stars, without a huge budget. What it has is a compelling story, a lot of heart and a spectacular setting.
First off, whoever is the casting director should be given their own award. Managing to find three different actors, for three different parts, two of whom are children, and making them not only convincing, but actually look like the younger version – that is an achievement all its own. The acting all-around was flawless. There are some tough scenes to tackle, both on the children’s and adult’s side, but no matter what age was presented, it was handled with tact and precision.
I admit, I found it hard to believe this was the same director who just four years ago presented a rage-infested zombie thriller and just one year ago was presenting a dark, sci-fi thriller. I knew Danny Boyle had talent, but he attains a whole new level here. It is impressive all around.
The story is Slumdog Millionaire is entirely plausible. If there would have been a “based on a true story” before the film, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. We are shown some of the darkest parts of India, from the initial slums, to an orphanage of panhandling children, some of whom are purposely maimed, the beauty of the Taj Mahal that is really a tourist trap and a great place to scam, soulless cell phone company where the world’s calls are routed and the seedy nature of being a bosses man. Is it a flattering view? No, but the closer you get to showing the true nature of a place, the uglier it usually gets.
India, Mumbai in particular, is its own character. Warts and all, this setting allows for maximum impact while retaining a level of reality that sometimes seem lost in films set in New York or L.A.
I loved the use of the flashbacks to explain how an uneducated boy from the slums has gotten one questions away from winning Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? India addition. Every questions is explained, from a humorous, if gross, encounter with a famous Indian actor, to the harrowing experience that led him to know the Indian poet who penned Darshan Do Ghanshayam Naath to the betrayal which led to his knowledge of who invented the revolver – every moment no matter how dark or sublime, leads to an answer.
Finally, it is a love story. It follows that tradition of loving, losing, finding, loving, losing again – twice – and it gets more intense each time. It’s been done before, but it’s presented in such a way that it feels new and exciting. Even the Bollywood-esque dance sequence at the end felt refreshing after all the darkness before. This is as close to flawless as you can get – and is now my top contender for best film of the year.
