November 12, 2008: Slumdog Millionaire
At this point, lots of people are familiar with Slumdog Millionaire and a large percentage of those people have heard that this movie is very good. Many are not familiar with the plot, and they want to know whether or not to see it.
The movie is about an unlikely contestant on an Indian version of the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” TV show, who miraculously seems to know the answers to all of the wide-ranging questions (on his way to being the titular Millionaire) despite having grown up a poor orphan on the streets of Mumbai (disparagingly known as a Slumdog). Does he win the million dollars or does he blow it at the end? Does he get the girl? Who is for him and who is against him?
I would like to say that this film is predictable, because even while watching it, it really seems like it must be. However, what it manages to do is to make any predictions irrelevant, and I think that’s what makes it successful. Sure, we would like to see our protagonist win the million-plus rupees, but by the end we would be totally OK with him getting nothing, so it’s fine either way and it doesn’t matter. We’d like to see him end up with the girl, but we understand that it’s a long shot and it would be completely believable if it just didn’t come together. The authorities and the host of the show sway back and forth between believing his stories and judging him a liar, so while we don’t ultimately expect them to help him, their intent to harm becomes diminished. All of this leads to a feel-good ending, of course, but how we get there seems far more genuine and less contrived than we usually see. The movie is uplifting but isn’t in your face about it.
It’s also an engrossing ride. There are a few ongoing character relationship threads (the contestant and his unending battles with his brother; an ongoing police interrogation; the woman he seeks out against all odds) which enrich our understanding of these people. This is carefully integrated with mini-stories (some more involved than others)surrounding each of the questions our contestant needs to answer. It’s a barrage of information with a lot of ups and downs. It walks a very fine line and manages to keep on the correct side of that line the whole time. This is great storytelling and moviemaking.
It occurred to me that one of the strong positive points about this film is how it leverages the undeniable power of the “Millionaire” TV show format. The show overtook TV-viewing audiences worldwide several years ago and had people watching a game show on a nightly basis in a way that hadn’t happened (in North America, anyway) in nearly 50 years. The dramatic arc of a contestant’s time on the show is a hemmed-in yet unpredictable story with built-in conflict and resolution, what with the exponentially escalating dollar figures ratcheting up the tension naturally, and the three “lifelines” (call a friend, 50/50, ask the audience) allowing the contestant to find an escape from seemingly impossible situations. Kind of like the way a superhero always seems to manage to do. All three of the lifelines are very carefully exercised in the film, forwarding the plot and furthering character relationships.
Not everyone will enjoy all of this. The game-show focus and sometimes treacly atmosphere will turn some off. Others will be turned away by the rough violence and heartbreaking lives of the Slumdog children as they grow up without guidance or positive influence. However, this is a compelling film and well worth a look.
And all this comes from director Danny Boyle!? The man who brought us Trainspotting, one of the most depressing drug addiction movies since the 1970s, and 28 Days Later, one of the most frightening of the new-style “fast zombie” movies. But this is obviously a very personal project, and some of Boyle’s recent works (Millions) suggest that he’s moving in a more sentimental direction. If Slumdog Millionaire is a representative example, then I’m happy for him to go that way.
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