Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” is an energetic and sprawling love story. It spans twenty-some years and many lavish settings throughout India. While standing in line for a different movie, I heard one patron say to a friend, “If you liked “Forest Gump” you will like “Slumdog Millionaire.” I had to hold my laughter in because the visual and narrative approaches of these films are complete polar opposites I would never group together. They contain a main character telling the story of his past, cover a long period of time and revolve around a love story. However, that is where the similarities end. If you like “Forest Gump” you could very well dislike “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Jamal is a young man from Mumbai who has a chance to be a Mil-on-air (you’ll get the spelling once you see the movie) on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.” How does he end up being one question aware from being a Millionaire? The answers are found within the fabric of his past. Jamal is forced to unravel that past to prove his innocence as no one believes a “slumdog” could have gotten this far without cheating. Jamal and his older brother Salim are orphaned at a young age and forced to fend for themselves. The flashbacks of his early childhood are splendid as the exuberance and innocence of these children are surrounded perfectly by deft editing and wonderful music. It is during this time that Jamal meets, falls in love with and inevitably gets separated from the beautiful Latika. The remainder of Jamal’s formative years contains many ups and downs, twists and turns, extreme situations and difficult decisions. The one thing that remains constant throughout that time is Jamal’s unrelenting optimism and determination to fulfill his unrequited love.
I have been a fan of Danny Boyle’s since coming to terms with how great “28 Days Later” was and then being swept off my feet by his moral fairytale “Millions”. Boyle has a knack for making any subject matter otherworldly and impossible to resist. He does so with a pacing that is impossible to detach yourself from. As long as you give yourself to the film he promises to take you for a fantastic ride. It is comparable to being nervous about riding a roller coaster; if you clench up and continually question the coaster’s construction then the ride isn’t very pleasant. If you let go, close your eyes and just trust the engineer you’ll have the time of your life.
As I write this review I can’t help but think about the older couple sitting behind me in the theatre asking each other questions throughout the movie and whose final thoughts while the end credits rolled were, “Well...that was interesting.” The message of this film is universal but I think the storyline and visual style are a lot more complicated then everyone is letting on. It may not be for everybody, but no film is. I highly recommend giving it a chance, but try to do so with a clean slate. If you forget all the hype, keep an open mind and just let go of the handlebar, I promise you’ll be swept up by this extraordinary love story.
No comments:
Post a Comment