Just had to share a little about Slumdog Millionaire. If your friends haven’t already gotten you to go to this one, lemme give you my own reasons to see it. It’s a visual treat–very beautifully filmed. And while it’s basically the old story of a scrappy orphan who survives predatory adults and other disasters to grow up into a modern-day version of success, it’s an incredibly original take on it.
The story-telling method and filming are done in a way I’ve never before seen on film. It reminds me of an interview I heard with Salman Rushdie, who was talking about how stories don’t need to be told from beginning to end in chronological order, but could be told all kinds of rambling ways, just so long as the author keeps the story moving.
The fractured storytelling, with flashbacks and flashforwards, is riveting.
Best of all, the film is thoroughly contemporary with its depiction of television as a kind of myth-maker for society, bringing hope to the masses even as our hero seems dazed and surprised by what is happening to him. I’m not a watcher of reality shows (I can’t stand them), but I get why people love them. This movie is really about how television works as a cultural phenomenon, mixing up celebrity as a value and as something and someone to be worshipped.
I also found it interesting that the movies, which are less of a phenomenon than they used to be because of the tv in every home and even in every room, are telling the story of the power of their competition.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire, spend some money and go to the movies.
