Slumdog Millionaire is a jarring story that rips between a young man doing very well on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and the life he's lived that taught him those answers. The young man, Jamal Malik, is played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Tanay Chheda, and Dev Patel throughout his life. This was the first or second role ever for all of them but you wouldn't know it. They each bring a profound innocence to the character despite all the horrible things that have happened to him growing up.
Credit most likely goes to director Danny Boyle for that. Boyle's oftentimes jarring style give the movie, and the city of Mumbai, a frenetic feel. Part of this came from Boyle's decision to use handheld cameras for filming in the slums - that way he'd be less likely to disrupt people's daily lives. If you're worried it's going to make you sick, don't worry, as they work their way out of the slum, the camera's more steady. Luckily all this moving around doesn't make you miss out on all the wonderful colors and lights.
In addition to grimy beauty, this film also offers up a great soundtrack. A.R. Rahman is said to have composed everything for it in about twenty days, but the songs will stick with you far longer. So many scores recently have blended into the background, so this is refreshing.
Ultimately, this film excels at throwing the events in this one man's life into sharp contrast - dazzling and dirty, uplifting but heartbreaking. Just beware of the hype. Even though it's a deserved Oscar winner for Best Picture, hype always messes with expectations and can ruin a film-watching experience.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: People who don't mind seeing the worst of times as long as they get to see the best of times too
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment