Richard and I watched Slumdog Millionaire over the weekend. For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, it follows the story of three kids from a slum in Mumbai as they grow to adulthood. The child actors are freaking astounding… I think the last time I loved a child actor so much was Enzo Staiola from “The Bicycle Thief”, who plays the 9-year-old son of a hard-up guy in depressed post-WWII Italy.
Enzo Staiola
Parts of the plot of Slumdog Millionaire are kind of cheesy and unbelievable, but not the important parts. (I’m referring to the plot device where one of the main characters, shown as a young adult, plays a game show, which allows the story of all three of the main characters to be told retrospectively.) But without this game show thread, I think the movie might only be fit for artsy film festivals, for people that can watch hours of really, really depressing stuff. (Like me!) Now that I’m thinking more about it, I’m kind of amazed at what a good job the directors did– sugar coating the movie just enough to make it watchable by everyone. (A spoonful of sugar helps the realism go down…)
The controversy surrounding the film is worth reading about online. It was touching to read about street kids’ reactions to the movie in this article.
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubina Ali, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail
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OMG I love love love the kid from the bicycle thief!! Still haven’t seen slumdog millionaire yet — I am afraid the depression factor will be too great.
Oh Lianne, you should see it– it’s really an uplifting movie in a way. I mean, it’s about underdogs that make it! Which happens in real life, too!
I’m so glad you like the bicycle thief kid too… I don’t know anyone else who’s seen the movie (except Richard) so I’ve never talked about it. :)
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