It's not about winning or losing, it's about the will to fight

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2011)

Slumdog Millionaire is set in Mumbai, India and tells the story of Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel as an adult, Tanay Chheda as an adolescent, and Ayush Mehesh Khedekar as a child. Jamal was raised in the slums and is now one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?". He is arrested and accused of cheating on the game show; during his violent interrogation, flashbacks are used as Jamal elaborates on how he knows the answer to each question. It is in these flashbacks you see the diminishing relationship Jamal has with his brother Salim, played by Madhur Mittal as an adult, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala as an adolescent, and Azharuddin Mohammed as a child, and a love story develop between Jamal and Latika, played by Freida Pinto as an adult, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar as an adolescent, and Rubina Ali as a child.
This movie, like so many others, follows the theme of a rags to riches story, one in which the main character beats the odds and strays from an "easy" lifestyle of gangs and violence. Jamal and his older brother Salim are left as orphans at a young age when their mother is killed during the riots. This is when they meet Latika, and take her in. The trio is tricked into working for a gangster as singing street beggars. This lifestyle came natural for Salim who has been a rebel his entire life, while Jamal and Latika struggle.
Salim and Jamal are separated from Latika several times throughout the film, but Jamal's goal throughout is to find her and run away with her. Years later, after Jamal is estranged from his brother and has a legitimate job working as a tea server at a call center; Jamal has the opportunity once again to find his brother and Latika. He meets with his brother, who went down a different path, and is now working for a gangster. Salim helps Jamal find Latika, who is now living with the gang leader and treated as his servant. Jamal tries to persuade her to run away with him, although in her attempt she is apprehended by Salim and other gangsters and drug back to her home with a knife at her throat. Jamal gets the idea to go on "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" because he knew Latika was a fan, and it was another attempt at reconnecting. I will let you watch the film to see if his attempt was successful.
This movie is very similar in theme to City of God, a 2002 film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. Both follow the lives of two boys as they grow and take separate paths facing adversity. Although, City of God is based on a true story out of Rio de Janeiro, both films I believe accurately reflect the struggle young children face growing up in impoverished circumstances.
The editing of this film I think was very successful in creating a flow that was not only easy to follow, but created suspense. Inside/out editing was used during the opening scene in which you see Jamal on the game show, and then it goes to a close up of his him being tortured. Gradually you back up and understand why he is being tortured and by who. This at the very beginning I thought was a very useful tactic because it immediately had me interested and wanting to continue watching to get the full story. Flashbacks and vertical wipes were also used to transition between scenes which I felt were very smooth and natural. The flashbacks were on the screen so fast, it was as if it I was having the memory, and the wipes were used as a slower transition when Jamal really had to think about his answer to the game show questions. These slower transitions let the emotions really sink in as to how Jamal may have felt during the flashback and at the moment on the game show; truly allowing the viewer to feel and understand the struggles Jamal was faced with.
The sound effects and music used in the film I also felt were handled very successfully. The invisible sounds that were used gave the film a sense of reality. In one scene, the boys are camped out in a landfill, in which you can hear the cows and fly's buzzing. This influenced my thoughts of not only temperature but also the smell and created for me an idea of the horrible living conditions they were in. The music also created a sense of reality for me. It was traditional Indian music, which is very important to that culture. It flowed perfectly with the action of every scene and created suspense at times. As the boys were running through the alleys from the cops at the air field, the music emphasized the fear and chaos going on in the scene.
The first time I watched the film, I wasn't honestly impressed because I thought it was to very far-fetched and very coincidental. Although, after watching it again and noticing the small details that really reflected the characters struggle, made me rethink and appreciate what the director was trying to portray. I realized it's not just about how Jamal overcame odds but his will to fight.