Unique and beautiful; more dark and gritty than "feel-good"

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2009)

Boyle's previous films are all fast-paced and energetic, and Slumdog Millionaire is an incredibly, frantically energetic film. From its opening interrogation scene, the film grabs a hold and never lets go. The exceptionally potent screenplay by Simon Beaufoy creates profuse quantities of tension and excitement, combining three parallel story lines  the interrogation following the game show, all of the events in the protagonist's life leading up to the game show, and the game show itself  and bounding between them frequently, constructing a fragmented chronology that only steps up the tension. Combine that with the natural tension of a trivia game show such as "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?", and we end up with an irresistible brisk, energetic film.
Boyle goes all-out with his cinematography; Anthony Dod Mantle combines a wondrous, exciting amalgamation of angles, focal lengths, camera movements (mainly hand-held), wide lenses and lighting set-ups to showcase and emphasize the natural energy and liveliness of the Mumbai slums where the film takes place. In fact, all of the technical elements of the film come together to create an astonishing palette of life and atmosphere, from the naturalistic costume and set design to the delightfully eclectic musical score by A.R. Rahman featuring a modernistic combination of pop songs, electronica and traditional Indian music. Getting all of these elements to come together and complement one another is a difficult enough task; but with the on-location shoot in the slums of Mumbai and other Indian shooting locations, Boyle's task is made even more difficult. It is an incredible directorial feat to undertake, and that's before counting in the local, non-actor, child cast members who deliver their lines in Hindu, when Boyle himself is English and doesn't speak English. The language barrier is broken and Boyle coaxes out of his cast members, both local and internationally known, wonderful and subtle performances that further reinforces his directorial achievement.
Many people have been hailing it as "this year's Little Miss Sunshine and Juno", the "little, feel-good indie film that could", but Slumdog Millionaire reminded me mostly of the 2002 Fernando Meirelles-directed Brazilian film, City of God. Both films are substantially darker and grittier than any American feel-good indie comedic-drama, and both create a gloomy, coarse portrait of the hardships of local life in the slums, City of God portraying the slums of Rio de Janiero, and Slumdog Millionaire focusing on the slums of Mumbai. It's a daily struggle to survive, and people live in the harshest of conditions; but while the exoticness and apparent difficulty of these lifestyles may throw the average viewer off, the incredible thing is that the people who live in these places aren't only used to them, but seem to embrace them and find the good in situations that seem to the average viewer impossible to live in. Going further, both City of God and Slumdog Millionaire feature two characters whose maturity develops in parallel, with one going down the straight path while the other gets desperately involved in a life of crime, the only outlet for many in the slums. In the former film, these are two childhood friends; in the latter, brothers.
That said, there is one significant point in which the films differ: While Slumdog Millionaire frames its story and characters with a melodramatic plot of hopelessly epic romantic love that transcends the ages, City of God portrays its characters and story with a far more realistic approach. The love story on display in Slumdog Millionaire is romantic and feel-good, but it lacks that realistic, naturalistic punch that City of God carries with it, and ends up preventing the film from reaching the true greatness of its Brazilian counterpart.
Many have been hailing Slumdog Millionaire as the "feel-good film of the year". But in fact, it is far from it: While its final message may be heartwarming and uplifting, most of the film shows us a dark, gritty portrayal of people in our modern world living in the most difficult of circumstances. The exotic depiction of the "real India" as it is referred to in the film is unique and beautiful; frightening and magical; energetic and lively while at the same time shocking and mesmerizing. Boyle gives this depiction an unprecedentedly skillful portrayal, featuring energetic cinematography and featuring wonderful performances from a very diverse cast, many of whom are local non-actors delivering lines in Hindu. And screenwriter Simon Beaufoy has framed this depiction with a wonderful story of a young slumdog winning the grand prize while playing on the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" television game show program, his knowledge of the answers to the questions deriving from his various, colourful experiences as a young man growing up in the harshest circumstances Mumbai has to offer.