Slumdog Millionaire

** 1/2

An Unfortunate Fairy Tale


          Once upon a reality, there was a need for fantasy. Through a shared pursuance of redemption, human beings have created ingenious methods for enduring suffering. Whether it is through performing physical activity, or turning to more creative outlets such as the human intellect, we as a species are consistently looking outside of our realities in order to enhance the quality of our everyday experiences. This tool for survival could very well have been the same source that helped spark the storytelling genres of fantasy/science fiction, as well as the ageless legends and fairy tales that have been passed down from generation to generation.

          There is, of course, a potential danger in using such survival techniques; dangers, which tend to spawn from the inevitable rebound effect of denying one's own personal reality. In real life, this all-too common scenario can harvest tragic consequences. This same situation constructed within the confines of cinema, however, tends to yield itself towards a more offensive exploitation. It is within this precise consequence of romantic flair, where "Slumdog Millionaire" wrecks its own train of heart.

          "Slumdog" tells the story of a young Indian man who is living in Mumbai and finds himself in an inquisition of sorts, as he attempts to justify the legitimacy of his recent success on India's version of the popular TV show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" The movie begins with our protagonist (Jamal K. Malik, performed with an earnest sense of yearning by Dev Patel) having long surpassed the expected benchmark of achievement for the show's contestants. For the Indian authorities however, this accomplishment by Jamal is all the more astonishing, given the nature of Jamal's background while growing up. It is known that Jamal lived the majority of his young life growing up in some of the poorest, most violent and most diseased ridden areas in all of India. As such, it is this reality of Jamal's upbringing that gives the authorities the 'justification' for their thorough inquiry.

          Here we find ourselves back in the reality of customizing human suffering. Yet once more we find ourselves within the clutches of pure Hollywood fantasy. For this is yet another movie in a long line of factory like productions, where the depraved realities of horrific living conditions take a subordinate step backwards, in order to let in the stench of implausible delusions. Remarkably, each prominent experience of suffering that Jamal endured as a child and teenager had within it a real life scenario that reflected the correct answers needed for "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"  As Jamal sifts through his own past in order to find the correct answers for the TV show, we the audience are supposed to buy in to the absurdity of this implausible plot.
  
          Yes it is true, that director Danny Boyle was not afraid to reveal the harrowing conditions found underneath the rapid development of India's middle to upper class. Still, it is the unfortunate path which Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy take, that only leads to the complete negation of "Slumdog"'s theme and message. Let's face it: the combination of some of the world's most robust economies hitting a low point not seen since The Great Depression, and the continuance of countless wars and lands ravaged by famine, would seem to lend itself well to a movie like "Slumdog Millionaire". With its story of rags to riches contained within a boundless sense of epic proportions, this movie would seem to be a panacea.

          It is all very well to learn the lifelong art form of embracing the light in the ugliest of experiences, but to make an attempt of this sort through such an improbable dream that is "Slumdog Millionaire" is not only counter-productive, but futile. Being able to acquire a sense of wisdom and profundity through one's own suffering, has been a courageous achievement witnessed time and again throughout human history. Yet, if we are to believe in the possibility of translating our moments of suffering into the correct answers for world issues on a hit TV game show like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", then we might as well stop believing in the possibility of redemption altogether. One of the biggest stretches of credulity for the audience is that Jamal's quest of being on this television show is based on his dreams of reconnecting with his childhood love. He actually believes that she will be watching the telecast, but the plot is not convincing enough to give these dreams any real hope of becoming successful. Since most of us go to the movies in order to escape (thus enhance) our everyday lives, one must ask what the point is of making such a movie as "Slumdog Millionaire"? This film clearly does not work on a literal level yet it remains equally pointless on any metaphorical scale. It may have its endearing moments from time to time, but it ends up being no more substantial than the ridiculous Bollywood music video, found in the end credits.

And now for the million-dollar question: How could I possibly write such a polarizing commentary on a movie that won 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director?

Answer: A) I am far from being an Academy Awards scholar.
B) I copied and pasted Roger Ebert's review of "Slumdog
Millionaire".
C) I've never even seen the movie "Slumdog Millionaire".
I took just one look at its title, and began writing.



D) "It was destiny."