This film directed by Danny Boyle opened today (November 12, 2008), and is garnering a lot of attention. Early reviews are touting it as a Best Picture underdog. In a year where most films thus far have sucked, that could be a good prediction.In my books, Danny Boyle has built one of the best bodies of work this generation. Everything he does is somehow interesting, but still has his trademark audacious aesthetic. Slumdog is no exception.
The film is shot mostly digital and entirely in India. The protagonist, Jamal, is on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and is about to be given his final question, when he is accused of cheating. He is interrogated by a cop played by Irrfan Khan (this guy can do no wrong) trying to figure out how this uneducated kid from the slums could answer all of the questions correctly and even get on the show. The answer to a question triggers off a flashbacks to how Jamal knew the answer to the difficult question. It's an interesting narrative device.
Through the flashbacks we learn of Jamal's almost Dickensian youth with his tough brother Salim and a girl he loves Latika. These characters are played by three different actors at various ages, however, the transitions are not jarring. If anything, the performances of the younger cast eclipse those of the older actors.
There are several problems with this film, mostly with the far reaching storylines and the supposed love story at its core. To be honest, I just didn't buy it. The peripheral characters, although interesting, have no real depth and make some weird decisions.
With that being said, the look and feel of the film, shot by Anthony Dod Mantel, propel this average 'rags to the riches' tale into another league. There is so much visual energy in the shots and editing that it exudes real beauty.
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