When I first learned that I was going to watch something called "Slumdog Millionaire" I was utterly clueless as to what it might be about. Because of my penchant for trying at almost all costs to know as little as possible about a film before seeing it, in combination with having heard nothing about it anywhere, I was virtually a blank slate when I walked into the screening. That I was surprised about the story is not hard to fathom, but "Slumdog Millionaire" turned out to be one of the most rewarding surprises of the film-going year. For those of you that have trouble with subtitles, "Slumdog Millionaire" is almost entirely in English so avoiding it with that excuse won't fly.
As it turns out, the term 'slumdog' is a derogatory term for people who grow up poor in India and in this case the character's name is Jamal Malik (Dev Patel). Jamal grows up dirt poor and is orphaned at a very young age due to sectarian violence that claims his entire family, aside from his brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal). The two of them endure a lifetime of torture and misfortune before they are even teenagers but while there is quite a bit of this shown here, including a particularly unpleasant event within an orphanage, "Slumdog Millionaire" is a story about hope, intrigue and the maintaining of an ironic sense of humor when it would seem almost inconceivable to endure what Jamal does without giving up.
Before Jamal and his brother are 'saved' by being taken in by an orphanage, they are living in the streets. It is there that they befriend Latika (Freida Pinto). The boys eventually escape the orphanage but Latika does not make it out. What drives Jamal is the need to find her, no matter how long it takes. He is in love. "Slumdog Millionaire" jumps back and forth from the present to different times in Jamal's past. What makes the present so interesting is that Jamal is a contestant on the game show, "Kaun Banega Crorepati", which is the Hindi version "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". This juxtaposition of parts of his life is very unique and an awful lot of fun to watch. Each question that the host of the show asks Jamal provokes a memory of his that influences his answers to the questions.
Slumdog Millionaire was scripted by Simon Beaufoy ("The Full Monty") and is based on the bestselling novel, "Q and A", by Vikas Swarup. Directing is handled by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") and he does an outstanding job of making it move at a near frenetic pace when appropriate but also knowing when to let it slow down.
Patel's performance as Jamal is nothing short of sensational but to single him out without spreading the praise all around would be a gross injustice. The entire cast is pitch-perfect. Anthony Dod Mantle handles cinematography and the look of "Slumdog Millionaire" measures up to all of the other performances. Last but not least is the soundtrack. A R Rahman is responsible for the music and there were a few times when I found it to be mesmerizing, yet it never intruded. If you are lucky enough to see "Slumdog Millionaire", do not make the mistake of leaving when the credits begin to roll. Stick around for a very special ending that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
