It often takes me at least a whole day to decide if I really liked a movie or really hated it - I guess it's like that for me with many things. But, it took me a few seconds to know I liked Slumdog Millionaire. And then, the next day, I decided that I really liked it. And that I totally love Dev Patel (the adorable lead character, Jamal.)
Why did I like it so much? Is it because everyone else liked it? I don't think so. I hated Benjamin Button, and it seems everyone in or around "The Academy" thought that was fantastic - good enough even to be nominated for 13 awards.
Is it because it was a touching love story? Partly, but not totally. There have been lots of "love stories" that I've found to be completely gag-worthy. Sleepless in Seattle? No thanks. The Notebook? Make me vomit. I am pretty sure the love factor wasn't it.
Maybe it's because the music grabbed me. Well, I gotta give it props for that. Whoever the sound director was did an excellent job at choosing authentic Indian and American hip hop music to contribute to the film's grit. But that's still not it.
Although all of these things helped to make for what I believe was a great flick, I think the one thing that stuck with me was the overall feeling of sincerity and authenticity. It showed us some horrific realities about the slums of India, but not in such a way as to say, "Oh, look at these poor slumdogs living in India, how horrible, don't you feel bad for them?" No. It was more like, "This is India. Yes, it's bad here. So? That's not the point."
Here was a kid who's just like any of us - he wants to love and be loved. Simple as that. All of the horrific things that happened to him growing up gave him the drive to go after what he wanted - his companion.
Perhaps that's an all too simplistic description of a movie with a lot of things to say, but generally I like to boil down how I feel about something into as simple a statement as possible.
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