If you know me well, you know I can be a sentimental, romantic-type. Undoubtedly, that explains why I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire so much. Plus, it is a movie full of Dickensian spirit, I think, and that certainly appeals to me, someone who loves David Copperfield and Great Expectations. Slumdog had been on my list of movies to see ever since I heard the early and enthusiastic reviews.
Visually, the movie is different and exciting. The director captures fascinating images of the children, the buildings, and the landscape. Even the scene where a young child is covered in...let's just call it filth...is arresting. I was grossed out and elated at the same time. Part of that emotion comes from the excellent young actor who plays Jamal as a boy, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar. He's adorable as anything, too.
The movie is unasbashedly romantic (which isn't for everyone, I know) but also quite disturbing in its realistic depictions of life in the slums for so many Indians. There is one scene that is especially horrifying, as a child suffers a cruel act of mutilation. Moreover, the trajectory of Salim, the hero's brother, is quite depressing.
As I've already indicated, though, the movie doesn't leave us in the depths of despair. Some might call this unrealistic or find the ending a bit too neat, but it worked for me. When Latika (the gorgeous Freida Pinto) asks Jamal (the amazing Dev Patel) what they will live on if she runs away with him and he answers, "Love," darn it if I didn't buy it all--hook, line, and sinker. Finally, the movie ends with a dance number and (perhaps because I am the world's worst dancer) that made me love it even more.
I'm not a movie critic by any means, but I really enjoyed this one. Give it a try.
1 comment:
I like books and movies that leave me feeling satisfied. If it has a happy ending, I don't much care if it's realistic! So there, critics.
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