I knew when putting the DVD in the player that Slumdog Millionaire was going to tug some heartstrings but end with triumph. I've seen the Jai Ho dance enough times to know that it celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, of love over all odds, of destiny/providence over evildoers standing in its way, but when we were finished watching the movie I felt deflated, instead of heartened. The guy wins a million dollars and all his problems are solved? What about the mafia members and the people who knew him in the slums? I was glad the movie ended when it did, because I was afraid the next scene was going to be him getting mugged and maimed, and the girl killed. Or does he take his money and build houses and clean up the slums - or give it to Missionaries of Charity?
Not that I didn't like the movie. Great mix of classic themes in a new setting. Great cinematography and acting. But there's a part of me that wonders when you see documentary-style films about poverty, or any suffering, what is the person behind the camera doing to help? What is the person watching doing?
In the Shadow of the Past
2 months ago
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