winning combination of happiness and sorrow

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2017)

I tell ya, this definitely hit my favorite movies of all time list. It's one of those flicks that is shockingly realistic at times but also replete with hope and joy. It won 8 Academy Awards, the most for its year, to no surprise.
The story takes place in three points in time: Jamal's childhood, his experience in the game show in the recent present, and the present with his interrogation. Somewhat reasonably enough, those involved with the millionaire show suspect Jamal of cheating; how else can an uneducated 18-year-old man from Mumbai answer all of the questions perfectly?
Slumdog Millionaire concerns Jamal's journey from a cheery boy of around 5 to the young man he has become, from his life in the slums to whatever future he will have. You see how he struggles to survive with his older brother, Selim, who sees life in quite a different way than he does; and how their relationship slowly withers as certain events occur.
What I took from this film? That life in the slums of India is terrible and something should be done about it; that with work, anyone can earn money to make a living; that hope never dies; that love is beautiful; that "it is written." I recommend Slumdog Millionaire for anyone and everybody. It's one of those films that just makes you feel all good inside, and perhaps tear up a bit, after seeing it.