Film review: Song of a slumdog

The surprising revelations of Slumdog Millionaire
Reviewed by Lesley Carter

J

amal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?

A. He cheated.
B. He’s lucky.
C. He’s a genius.
D. It is written.

What chain reactions can put you in the right place at the right time? And how do you come to know what you need to know once you get there?

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Dev Patel, sets about exploring that question via one boy’s meandering life story.

As Slumdog opens, Jamal (Patel) has reached the final question on India’s version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? A slum kid with hardly any formal education, he has nevertheless managed to answer every question correctly. Not convinced that a “slumdog” could possibly reach that level without cheating, the police haul him in for interrogation - because, as the inspector says, “What could a slumdog possibly know?”

I confess that that question ignited my righteous indignation. Why couldn’t a slumdog know the answers? Who’s to say he’d be less intelligent than anyone else?

Granted, I realize I’m speaking out of my own upbringing in America, where all schoolchildren are told they can grow up to be President. But I’m told such information is not included the curriculum in most other countries on the globe, so it’s possible that I’m alone in my indignation.

But, equal opportunity isn’t really the principal theme of this film. As we retrace Jamal’s steps, we’re treated to a series of heartbreaking events, starting in the slums of Mumbai and tied together by his quest to find a childhood sweetheart he left behind.

Of shooting his film on location, director Danny Boyle spoke of learning to surrender control of the workspace. “‘Control’ is not a word that is appropriate in Mumbai,” he says. “It’s not about that; it’s about survival.” (New York Times 11.12.2008)

And what is revealed over the course of the film is that Mumbai is much more than a backdrop for this film - it is the plot itself. Without that constant drive for survival specific to Mumbai, this story would have no story. As its landscape unfolds, the written storyline seems secondary to the narrative emerging from Mumbai’s grimy streets.

For many of us in the west, Slumdog Millionaire can serve as a reminder of the realities of life for the poorest of the world’s poor. Child beggars, garbage heaps, brothels - all make appearances. And since each of these is a landmark on the path to the movie’s glorious conclusion, it can be easily forgotten that they are staples of everyday life for a large percentage of the world’s population.

I found that one of the most lasting impressions from Slumdog Millionaire was its exhibition of the lives of the broken and exploited - and the reminder that we in the church are charged to reach out to them.

By all means, enjoy Slumdog Millionaire. Exult in its charming storyline and appreciate it for what it is: an unexpectedly winning film. But the challenge is in not leaving it there. Look deeper into the screen and allow yourself to see the “least of these” shuffling in and out of frame. The film’s real success is that it won’t allow you to put from your mind the call to be mindful of the last, the lost and the least.

Reviewer: Lesley Carter is a copywriter and editor living in Atlanta, GA, USA. Growing up with Salvation Army officer parents laid the foundation for what would become a life spent searching for the true meaning of service and community - and how both factor into God’s purpose for her life. Lesley serves theRubicon as a copy editor and our movie reviewer.

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