Slumdog Millionaire

One of the things I like and appreciate about Danny Boyle is his willingness to try new things. Maybe he is very open minded, maybe he doesn't even see movies as being held down by a genre definition, maybe he wants to do a little bit of everything. Whatever the truth may be, Boyle has been successful with each of his forays into new territory. Dark Comedy (sort of) in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. Family fare with Millions. Sci-fi with Sunshine and horror with 28 Days Later.

This time around Boyle is off to India to tell a love story. There is an energy to Slumdog Millionaire that effectively reflects the part of the world it is set in. The film cuts back and forth between Jamal as an 18 yr old on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Jamal as a child growing up in the slums of Bombay (back when it was still called Bombay).

I don't want to explain to much about the bouncing back and forth because I don't want to reveal one of the charms of the movie. As a child Jamal meets Latkia, a young girl who is struggling to survive as he and his brother are.

Boyle doesn't show us a romantic view of India, but it isn't all muck and crowd. There are glimpses of beauty all around if you keep your eyes open. The music is fantastic, which is a virtual requirement with a Boyle movie. Dav Patel plays the older Jamal and if you have BBC America, you may have seen him on Skins. He, along with the two young actors that play Jamal at the early stages of his life, create a very complete character. Credit not only the actors, but Boyle as well considering he had to keep the thread going thru three different performances.

Normally, I'm not one for the "feel good film." I think, though, that this is less a standard feel good film than a film that celebrates being able to hold on to hope when all around you is dark and dire. Even as a cynic, I can appreciate that and see the beauty in it. Hopefully you can too.