‘Slumdog’ hits all the high points

“Slumdog Millionaire” is one of those rare movies that excels in every way.

Despite having a cast of young actors who are largely unknown to American audiences, all of the performances are extremely well done. Even the young children who play the main characters early in the movie do an excellent job.

It certainly helps that all of the characters are well-developed and always changing in a way that’s reflective of reality.

A young, uneducated teenager, Jamal (Dev Patel) has earned a spot as a contestant on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

After answering a string of difficult questions correctly, Jamal is thrown in jail and tortured to get him to reveal how he has cheated on the show. If doctors and lawyers cannot win, the police reason, what chance does a slumdog have?

To prove his innocence, Jamal and the investigator (Saurabh Shukla) play a recording of the show, pausing periodically. At each question, Jamal reveals his painfully powerful back story that helps him explain how a young teenager from the slums of India can know so much.

His life goes from one heart-wrenching scene to the other.

As we watch him and his brother, Salim (Madher Mittal), lose their mother and grow up on the rough streets of India, it’s difficult not to become emotionally enthralled in their life.

Hollywood always has been on the forefront of recycling, especially when it comes to movie plots. “Slumdog Millionaire” delivers a fresh and exciting story that does not conform to conventional templates for to Hollywood success.

Instead, it takes on a life of its own.

Although the movie is not told in a linear timeline, the transitions between the past and present are seamless. It is easy to follow the plot.

All of the camera work and the editing is well executed. The cinematography’s non-traditional approach is very refreshing compared with the predictable work of many Hollywood productions.

Through the film, the viewer is able to have a fuller understanding of the real India, especially through the depiction of India’s slums.

Even the soundtrack is impressive. It’s a perfect mix of ethnic and Western music that not only helps create a distinct tone, but is extremely refreshing, adding an extra element of beauty among the brutally realistic background of rural India.

The content of the movie is rather heavy, but the filmmakers do a fine job evening out the material by providing spots of comic relief.

Of course, no movie based in India would be complete without a Bollywood-inspired dance sequence. Even though the dance sequence plays during the credits, it is more than worth staying in the seats for even after the movie’s conclusion.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year, and is every bit deserving of it.

Any moviegoer who is bored with what is out there and is looking for something different will not be disappointed.

features@cm-life.com