Slumdog Millionaire: A Must-See!

I am so glad this movie came to Abilene. I don't know much about the history of how this movie garnered international attention, but God bless Fox Searchlight for putting it in widespread release! I wouldn't be surprised at all if it won the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie is actually nominated for 10 Academy Awards.

Here's a quick plot summary. A young man, a "slumdog," winds up on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and answers his way to a level no one has ever reached. Because of his poverty status and complete lack of education, he's arrested under suspicion of cheating. But Jamal Malik proves that life's lessons are the greatest of all and that everything is possible when fate is on your side.

The story was at the same time hard to watch and hard to look away from. It delves into the level of poverty that makes us Americans squirm. Jamal was happier living in a landfill than I ever remember being at that age. The movie highlights the best and the worst of human character and shows just how far you can go in life when you choose justice over revenge.

The colors, music, editing, and especially the story line were totally over the top, but the story still felt very real. I'm guessing that's true Bollywood fashion, even though I've never really seen a Bollywood movie.

While I would love to recommend this movie to everyone, it is rated "R" for violence, adult themes and children in peril. I definitely didn't leave feeling as if I had watched a rated "R" movie, though.