Monday, January 19, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire

When a young uneducated man from the slums reaches the the highest question in the Indian "Who wants to be a millionaire", the show organisers take the opportunity afforded by the break between one night's show and the next to ask the police to investigate whether he got so many answers by cheating. 
After an unpromising and gruesome start, the police inspector lays aside his other pressing cases, and listens to the young man's story...and so it is we learn how the events of his childhood conspired, alongside the heartbreak, to give him just the knowledge he needed to answer the questions he was asked.
It is an eventful and moving story. Plenty of chases, on foot rather than car chases, given extra drama by the superb music, against a backdrop of excellent photography of the Indian land and cityscape.  There is racial violence, friendship, exploitation, romance, betrayal, murder, humour and ambition.
A great story, wonderfully told, leading towards.. well I won't tell you what it leads to.  You will have to see the show. 

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