Slumdog Millionaire

Directed By: Danny Boyle (India Director: Loveleen Tandan)

Written By: Simon Beaufoy
Starring: Dev Patel, Irfan Kahn, Anil Kapoor, and Freida Pinto

Director of Photography: Anthony Dod Mantle, Editor: Chris Dickens, Production Designer: Mark Digby, Original Music: A.R. Rahman

Rated: R for some violence, disturbing images and language

    If Charles Dickens lived in present day India, he could have wrote Slumdog Millionaire. This amazing tale of a young boy who starts with nothing and gains everything seems so classic in the world of the English writer, and yet under director Danny Boyle and writer Simon Beaufoy, it a modern tale of tragedy, triumph, and love. And despite a chocolate covered story, Mr. Beaufoy and Mr. Boyle have refused to let this simply be an easy, happy story, infusing a strong criticism of culture brimming just under the narrative.  

    Mr. Boyle’s previous films have ranged on highly different ideas and themes, ranging from addiction (Trainspotting), to human morality (Sunshine), to the apocalyptical (28 Days Later…), But in Slumdog, he has taken the same frantic and energetic paced and launched it into a tale that feels nothing like his other films. It begins with Jamal (Dev Patel), an eighteen year old “slumdog,” who has ended up on the Indian version of the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.” Somehow, Jamal ends up one question away from the 20 million rupee prize, when the show cuts for the night. Immediately, Jamal is taken in for questioning by a police inspector (Irfan Kahn) who wants to know how an impoverished boy could do better than most doctors and lawyers. But Jamal didn’t cheat, and the answer to each question reveals a section of his life and his love for a woman. He is not a genius as the film tells us, but it is fate instead.

    Slumdog Millionaire’s story is such an uplifting tale of redemption and destiny that this film is literally impossible to not fall in love with. The characters are beautifully imagined,  and each part of the story is thrilling and breath taking. The framing story Mr. Beaufoy has adapted from the novel Q&A, is a smart and moving way to tell what actually would have been a simple story otherwise. Boyle’s camera acts as a guide, and has a strong energetic pace that never allows for this film to slow down until the final touching climax, which ends with a classic Bollywood number. But that is not to put Boyle on the level of those directors; he does more than tell the story, giving a subtext about the impoverished state of India. Unlike other Hollywood films that take place in third world countries like Blood Diamond, Mr. Boyle never informs or moralizes to his audience, but simply shows the images of genocide, poverty, and starvation.

    And while he could have pushed that maybe a little further, Slumdog’s story is simply a crowd pleasing tale that people will walk away with a smile on their face (The R rating for this film is pretty close to absurd). It’s a universal story, set within the context of India, which will have audiences rooting and cheering for a satisfying ending. It is both Boyle’s most accessible film to date, yet he never loses his vision at the same time. In our new hopeful world in the States where we truly believe dreams can come true, Slumdog is an beautiful reflection of that.