A teenager who grew up in the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Against all odds, he is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating -- how could an orphaned street kid with no formal education know so much?With that premise, I had to give it a chance. And I was duly rewarded.
Alas, Slumdog Millionaire is not a masterpiece, but it is a very, very good film. Like a Vonnegut novel, the film begins as close to the end as possible, flashing back to points in the past that correspond to a current subject. The device works like this: The film opens as our hero, the 18-year old Jamal Malik, is being interrogated by the police. They play back a video of the game show from the previous day, and ask him how he was able to answer each question correctly. Every question triggers a flashback to some point during his childhood, and we watch the occurrence that leads to his knowledge, which corresponds to the story he tells the police. Then we watch him answer the question on the gameshow, with a knowing smile (or wince, as the case may be).But that's just the device -- the story is about a child who grew up in the slums with his brother, Salim, and his mother; how he became orphaned by communal violence; how he met the love of his life, a girl named Latika; how he lost her; how he and his brother survived homelessness; and how he and his brother were changed by their traumas. This story is heartbreaking and beautifully acted by the three sets of leads -- Jamal, Salim, and Latika each has a teen, younger, and youngest version, and they are all great. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say, not a whole lot of nice things happen to these kids. However, Jamal emanates so much humanity and the film gives us just enough humor that we are able to get through watching these traumas without falling completely into the dark. In addition, director Danny Boyle's (of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later fame) filmmaking is especially lush -- the slums of Mumbai are vibrantly filthy -- trash heaps, shacks, and overpopulated alleyways, laced with a wildness that is enhanced by the percussive soundtrack. The stimulating visuals and dramatic momentum of the structure temper a film that could otherwise become a melancholy drag.
Eventually, the flashbacks lead us back to the present, and explain how Jamal got to be on the show (tangentially), and more importantly, why he is on the show. In the last half-hour or so, the movie loses the rigidity of its structure -- we see flashbacks including interactions between Jamal and the conflicted host of Millionaire, Jamal's search for his brother and Latika, and some background on the new, developing urban jungle of Mumbai. Here, the movie transitions from a coming-of-age drama to a potent love story. Dev Patel, who plays older Jamal, is especially sympathetic and his acting really inspires a lot of good will.
The only fault of the film (and many might not think it a fault) is that Jamal is so easy to cheer for, and the story, as it plays out, is so predictable, that it becomes kind of a traditional tale, novel only in its storytelling technique. But having a character to root for is not such a terrible thing every once in a while. Especially when his story is as harrowing and rich with drama as Jamal's. A
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