Slumdog

My movie buddy and I went to the early show yesterday, along with a dozen other older people, to see the movie everyone has been talking about, Slumdog Millionaire. We both enjoyed it on many levels, so I'm just going to toss about random reactions.

It's dark; it's sad; it's depressing. The overwhelming poverty and endless slums weigh heavily on my heart as hearing about the conditions in other countries is easier than seeing them on the big screen. Literally millions of people inhabiting space meant for a fraction of them, wall-to-wall shacks with tin roofs, no sanitation, fouled water sources. I've never thought of India as a third-world nation, but that is how I reacted to the location shots. For all of the colorful clothing, the movie seems totally black and white.

The story is surprisingly good, told through a series of life moments shared by the three main characters. Is it meant to be, meant to happen? That's the question the audience explores. The actors, shown at 3 stages of their lives, are also very good. Many children who act are not believable because they lack life experience; these children know the life they are portraying and play it perfectly. For once, the story is presented just the way it is: you can like it or not, but the truth resonants.

The music is a distraction as it's anathema to the mood created by the story, especially the Baliwood finale. Jarring. Inappropriate. Unnecessary.

This is not a film that the masses will enjoy, and it takes work to engage from beginning to end, but it's worth the time and the effort. The subtlety of the message is important, but some of the overt scenes are neither subtle nor important.

Comparing Slumdog to Buttons, I'll take Slumdog as much more realistic, more well-acted, more engaging and meaningful, and a deeper, more lasting experience for the viewer.