i got tickets to last night's advance screening of slumdog millionaire via the philadelphia film society. (it's only really an "advance screening" for philadelphia. the film has already opened in a few other cities). the extra ticket went to susie and ciarán met us there through the power of his own free ticket.
"slumdog" tells the tale of jamal malik, a poor kid from the slums of mumbai who wins big in the indian version of "who wants to be a millionaire." the question posed by the film is how can an uneducated slumdog like jamal know enough to get that many questions right. the movie is structured by a series of flashbacks. each question in the game show prompts a look into jamal's past to explain how he happens to know each answer. the "now" of the film is a just 24 hour period which jamal spends in the "millionaire" hotseat and in a police station. but through the flashbacks we learn jamal's life story.
using quick cuts and a handheld camera, the film does a good job of getting across the chaotic feel of the mumbai streets. it also is surprisingly adept at sucking you into the story and keeping you on the edge of your seat, even though you basically know where it's going. (i even correctly guessed what jamal's last question would be). at its heart, "slumdog" is a feel-good film about a poor kid who beats the odds and ultimately triumps over his adversaries. but it feels original and, unlike the typical feel-good film, "slumdog" does not shy away from the darker side of life on the streets of india. as the mandatory bollywood dance number began and the closing credits started to roll, ciarán said "that's the best movie i've seen all year." i don't know if i'd go that far, but "slumdog" really is worth seeing.
there was a Q and A with danny boyle at the end of our screening. don't believe me? here's a crappy picture i took with my cell phone:
i only got to see some of the questions before susie and i made a run for the train station. usually i find the Q and As to be pretty dull. but boyle actually seemed to have interesting things to say about filming in india, the clever use of subtitles, et cetera. feel free to tell me what i missed, ciarán!
...susie's post about the film is here.
