MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Slumdog Millonaire Rated R

Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto

Photo © Fox Searchlight Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

 Jamal (Patel), an 18 year old orphan boy from the slums of Mumbai, India, is fortunate enough to become a contestant on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”  When he shows exceptional knowledge, the show’s producers suspect cheating and hand him over to the police for questioning.  As Jamal tells the story of his life, we discover how he came to know so much.  And the audience discovers a truly exceptional film. 

Shot on location in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) India, the story spans a decade and tells the Dickensian story about how Jamal, his older brother, and another orphan girl look out for one another, living from day to day on their wits and their loyalty to one another.  Their friendship will be tested with some of the most harrowing experiences of life, but there will be redemption by film’s end. 

Irish Director Danny Boyle tells his story with an all-Indian cast and recreates in many ways the pleasure of India’s “Bollywood” films that combine drama, horror, comedy, music and dancing into an entertainment for all.  India continues to be a country that is divided by class and caste, so Jamal’s tenacity and refusal to break under oppression is an inspiring story, indeed.  Although the film is mostly in English, there are also scenes in Hindi (with easy-to-read dialogue boxes attached to the speakers, in closed caption format).  This is a visually colorful and heartfelt entertainment and (for those who can handle the R rating content) one of the best films of the year.

Pitchfork Rating: Four halos . (An entertaining and thrilling rags-to-riches story in which love and friendship are the highest of values.)
Four pitchforks (There is much cruelty and evil in the depths of poverty, including torture, prostitution, theft, murder, human misery, and once unforgettable scatological joke; one scene of religious bigotry; there is also some swearing, both on and off the subtitles.)

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