Slumdog Millionaire: A Review

With Sunday’s Oscar ceremony approaching, there are some races that seem settled. Among these is Best Picture, and if any film other than Slumdog Millionaire walks off with the trophy, it will be an upset that will provide much delight to writer’s everywhere. I admit that, once again, I find myself almost entirely uninterested in the Oscars, and it stretches my imagination to understand a Best Picture conversation that doesn’t even have The Dark Knight on the list. Still, of those that remain, I have no doubt that Slumdog is a worthy recipient.

Given last years’ horse race between No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, it’s fascinating to see Hollywood’s shizophrenic personality that it has so readily embraced Slumdog. To be clear, Slumdog is as uncynical, positive, and hopeful picture as I’ve seen in awhile. That alone could make it hard to watch (cynic that I am), but the top-to-bottom quality of the film is just so strong, it quickly drew me in. The story centers on Jamal, a young man who is making his way through India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to setup the chance to be the game’s big winner. The game producers are suspicious, and so we find him being carted away and put through brutal questioning from police about how he has rigged the game. As he explains how he knew the answers to each question, it allows him to tell about his life. Born in the slums, we see him as a survivor from his earliest days. He faces dreadful poverty and all that it entails, including the corrupting influence of those who take advantage of these children. We see him growing up learning to survive, and fiercely looking out for this brother and Prem, a young girl he meets along the way.

As the story moves on, we see Jamal grow up, getting out of the tougher parts of his circumstances, but trying and failing to rescue Prem from her lot. As he ages, his love for her only increases, and we slowly understand this film as an unashamed love story. As this comes clear, we see his journey in the game show from two different perspectives. The nation is gripped by a rags-to-riches story of a boy with the potential to earn extraordinary wealth. Jamal is consumed in the midst of this story with the hope of rescuing his love. How this plays out is better left to the viewing. Suffice it to say, the way the story is told was fun and captivating.

The question that frames the movie is why this would happen. Is he lucky? Is he cheating? The answer the movie gives is simple: “Because it is written.” The linking of ideas of destiny, fate, or providence to a story about a game show contestant could easily come across as trite, but it is Slumdog’s success that it earns the right to make this connection. Still, I had to wonder as I left the theater what it is I should have been rooting for. Even while Jamal was hoping for something deeper than just “getting the girl,” the game show’s viewers were just interested in watching a lottery winner. Does invoking these terms around a story of material success play to the worst aspects of our materialism? Is this an invocation of the God of health and wealth?

Despite this initial trepidation, I eventually made my peace with where the film went. Jamal has a clear eyed understanding that the money was not going to save him. For him, the money was merely a tool for a more worthy pursuit. The film’s hope lies in the promise that there is something or someone at work behind all of the horrors of life that is bringing about something good and worthwhile. That the film remains agnostic about what that something or someone is doesn’t diminish the worthiness of the message.

This is the right movie for a season of uncertainty. Slumdog Millionaire serves as a useful conversation partner for Christians, whose hope lies in the sovereign power and character of a God who is indeed writing “the end from the beginning” and who is working out good even in the midst of the darkest of circumstances. That’s a message that we need reminding of in all seasons.