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somebodyisfromhere.com
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The destination destination.
Slumdog Millionaire.
<<< The plot description of Slumdog Millionaire doesn't exactly jump off the page.
In fact, even after seeing it, Somebodyisfromhere.com doesn't quite know how to
describe it. Still, he wants to make it clear that Slumdog Millionaire is the best movie
he's so far seen this year.
The synopsis is this. A poor parentless Indian boy goes on the Indian version of
Who Wants to be a Millionaire in order to gain the attention of the love of his life. Not
especially bright, the boy goes far in the show because the questions happen to
mirror his life experiences.
Like I said, not especially interesting.
The story however, based on the book Q & A, isn't that simple. Not in the hands of
director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later).
In fact, even after seeing it, Somebodyisfromhere.com doesn't quite know how to
describe it. Still, he wants to make it clear that Slumdog Millionaire is the best movie
he's so far seen this year.
The synopsis is this. A poor parentless Indian boy goes on the Indian version of
Who Wants to be a Millionaire in order to gain the attention of the love of his life. Not
especially bright, the boy goes far in the show because the questions happen to
mirror his life experiences.
Like I said, not especially interesting.
The story however, based on the book Q & A, isn't that simple. Not in the hands of
director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later).
Although Slumdog Millionaire is about young people and often unrequited love, the story isn't a clean fairy tale. There's
prostitution, guns, and even a prolonged scene about shit. Oh, and the movie starts with a torture scene. You see, the
producers of the game show and the local police don't think this uneducated kid could know as much as he does
without cheating in some way.
Boyle doesn't hold your hand. Mostly it's in English. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's subtitled. Sometimes it's not. He'll
let you figure it out along the way.
In the hands of a lesser director this kind of material might grow tedious. One way he avoids drowsiness is quick editing.
Boyle also happens to be right up there with Tarantino in finding the right music to move the story along. No seriously,
he's really good. Really, you might want to take my word for it (Somebodyisfromhere.com just wanted to include those
links).
The acting was solid and the characters are well developed. Three actors, accounting for age, play each Jamal and
Salim, a pair of brothers, as well as Jamal's love Latika. Uncertain and ever changing motives make the lead
interrogators - the cop and the show's host - increasingly watchable.
The choice of India contributes to the story. When the children are younger you see the slums of Mumbai and later as
they grow up the city gets richer with new buildings and business opportunities. Briefly, they even show the inside of a
call center similar to those we have all experienced.
But the real way Somebodyisfromhere.com knows that Slumdog Millionaire works is the ending. No, he's not going to tell
you how it finished, but as you could imagine, a movie about a game show comes down to the final question. The final
question was a simple one not unlike a normal question you'd see on any trivial type pursuit. At that point in the picture,
the tension was built so tight that when the question was read a collective gasp was uttered from a four/fifths full theater.
So what makes Slumdog Millionaire so brilliant? Is it the music? The story? The acting? The direction? The locales?
Easy. All of the above.
prostitution, guns, and even a prolonged scene about shit. Oh, and the movie starts with a torture scene. You see, the
producers of the game show and the local police don't think this uneducated kid could know as much as he does
without cheating in some way.
Boyle doesn't hold your hand. Mostly it's in English. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's subtitled. Sometimes it's not. He'll
let you figure it out along the way.
In the hands of a lesser director this kind of material might grow tedious. One way he avoids drowsiness is quick editing.
Boyle also happens to be right up there with Tarantino in finding the right music to move the story along. No seriously,
he's really good. Really, you might want to take my word for it (Somebodyisfromhere.com just wanted to include those
links).
The acting was solid and the characters are well developed. Three actors, accounting for age, play each Jamal and
Salim, a pair of brothers, as well as Jamal's love Latika. Uncertain and ever changing motives make the lead
interrogators - the cop and the show's host - increasingly watchable.
The choice of India contributes to the story. When the children are younger you see the slums of Mumbai and later as
they grow up the city gets richer with new buildings and business opportunities. Briefly, they even show the inside of a
call center similar to those we have all experienced.
But the real way Somebodyisfromhere.com knows that Slumdog Millionaire works is the ending. No, he's not going to tell
you how it finished, but as you could imagine, a movie about a game show comes down to the final question. The final
question was a simple one not unlike a normal question you'd see on any trivial type pursuit. At that point in the picture,
the tension was built so tight that when the question was read a collective gasp was uttered from a four/fifths full theater.
So what makes Slumdog Millionaire so brilliant? Is it the music? The story? The acting? The direction? The locales?
Easy. All of the above.
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