Who Wants To Be A Slumdog?

Last night I watched Slumdog Millionaire finally.  It came highly recommended, particularly after I watched 127 Hours - another Danny Boyle film.

The way the film starts out is sort of jarring.  The opening scene is very intense, and you see Jamal in the questioning room with the officer (although you don't know that's where he is) and the officer is just blowing smoke in Jamal's face.  Then, we're on the set of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  It takes a little while to figure out what's going on, and make the connection between his life experiences and answers to the questions.  But, I can appreciate a good storyteller's desire to keep the viewers guessing.

The film definitely paints a bleak picture of India.  Seems like it's intended to bring the spotlight to basic issues, like police brutality, the state of the slums, religious persecution, etc.  But, it also doesn't seem like any of those things are exaggerated in the film.  It seemed very real to me.  And the scene with the Americans really gets me.  The one where Jamal's character get's beaten by the police and they give Jamal money, as if that's supposed to make it better.  I love the conversation in that scene.

"You wanted to see the real India?"  Jamal says as he's lying on the ground after being brutally kicked by the officer.

"Well, we'll show you the real America!"  The woman says resolutely and turns to her husband and whispers for him to give Jamal money.

Making a jab at the overall ignorance of Americans, perhaps?

I wasn't overly clear on why Salim felt the need to kill himself at the end.  The change in his demeanor seemed very abrupt.  He was always mildly abusive towards Jamal, and did what he could to stay on top.  He only drew the line once when he knew Jamal was in danger of bodily harm.  At which point he basically threw Latika under the train in order for he and his brother to escape.  So, what turned him into a humanitarian suddenly?  What made him care about Jamal and Latika's happiness?

You can assume by the end that Jamal and Latika get their home on Harbor Avenue or wherever they want and live happily ever after.  But I would've liked to see a glimpse of their lives after things had settled down.  Not because I needed closure or anything, but just because.

Overall I thought it was a great film.  A good renter for a relaxing Monday night.