India: the south-central Asian country is an enigma to most Americans, indeed most of the world.  The 1.1 billion people that inhabit this most famous of former British colonies seem to live in an age far removed from modern human civilization.  And yet, India is where some of most brilliant technical and scientific minds of our age are born. 

Indian society is a dichotomy of ancient traditions that refuse to die and modern practices that have propelled India into the forefront of the 21st Century economic framework.    

It is a place of mind-numbing poverty nestled in the shadows of ultra-modern buildings and cutting edge technology; of deadly clashes between the followers of Islam and Hinduism; of a medieval social order that refuses to pass, and democracy that Slumdog Millionaire takes place.  
 
Story Line

Directed by Danny Boyle Marc Foster (The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine) Slumdog Millionaire (winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture) takes place in the world's most populace city, Mumbai (Bombay), the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra.  Here young brothers Jamal and Salim Malik watch in horror as their mother, and scores of others, are set upon and killed for being Muslim, thus casting the brothers and another orphan, a girl named Latika adrift in the teaming slums of Mumbai. 

Jamal and Latika form and instant attachment to one another that is to last throughout the film and form the basis for this love story.  

As the boys try and fend for themselves along with Latika, they are taken in by men of ill-repute and turned out to beg in the city streets.  But when Jamal is set to have his eyes taken out (you know to bring in more money), the boys escape, but Latika is caught (she is turned out as a prostitute), and thus begins a saga in which the boys and Latika are separated and reunited several times, until 18-year-old Jamal makes an appearance on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and wins big in an effort to connect with Latika once more!

But, because he is winning so handsomely he is accused of cheating and through the course of his interrogation we learn of his life and the basis for his fortunate turn on the show.          

My Thoughts
 
Despite the brittle and often brutal edges of Slumdog Millionaire the movie is at its heart an enduring love story set against a backdrop of misery and despair.  The movie was brilliantly directed, shot and acted and well deserves the accolades it received including 8 Oscars.

Slumdog Millionaire immerses the us in an totally alien landscape and goes on to portray it through the eyes of a young boy and man fighting day-to-day to survive. And it leaves us wondering how he and his fellows survive at all living in such squalid conditions and where every adult is out to exploit them. 

Slumdog Millionaire is beautifully shot and crafted as the screen bursts with color, alien sights & sounds and excitement, despite the heaps and mounds of trash and endless squalor.

The Indian actors are, for the most part, unknown in the Western world, but they uniformly impress with their deft and emotive performances. Latika and the brothers are all portrayed by a trio of actors - one for each stage of their lives as portrayed by the movie; i.e. childhood, teenagers, and young adults. Their touching interactions add a needed layer of humanity to an oft-times all-too brutal existence.

Despite the depressing setting Slumdog Millionaire is strangely uplifting and hopeful and in the end is a movie the whole family can and most likely will enjoy.            

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older