slumdog millionaire:

who knew that such a powerful story could be derived from narrative about a "who wants to be a millionaire" game show. it wasn't all about the game show, but it definitely worked perfectly well into the story of jamal mikal.

this movie is incredibly intense. the narrative is exhilarating. it is frightening, smart, and touching at the same time. director danny boyle seems to take all the risks in portraying the true colors of india's slums. boyle assures that this is more than a love story. he does not shy away from difficult thematic issues, and willingly wrestles with the core of the inner human spirit.

it's always been inspiring to see boyle tackling on a different genre every time. artistically, he seems to keenly understand how to bring forth attention to the unusual (or usual but ignored) aspects of our lives. we wouldn't dare dive into the toilet bowl with renton in trainspotting.. bear every man-made mistake with capa in sunshine.. or willingly stab your friend to death for the sake of survival with selena in 28 days later.

in slumdog millionaire, there is a scene where young jamal is locked inside of an outhouse-- he desperately needs to get out so that he can get a signed autograph from the famous amitabh bachchan who is nearby. the only exit is through the hole. jamal decides to jump into the pile of stools. he falls in, and gets covered in human feces from head to toe. jamal successfully exits the outhouse. he runs towards the celebrity, squeezing his way through a rowdy crowd (inevitably smearing "it" all over the other peoples clothes). jamal finally stands in front of bachchan holding up the picture of the celebrity that he wants signed. curiously, bachchan takes the picture, signs it, and hands it back to the boy covered in stool. jamal feels victorious.

would we have jumped in with him?

this might sound a bit strange, but i've always wondered if any filmmaker would be brave enough to somehow incorporate human feces as a vital element in a story. i've always wondered how an audience would agree with that sort of content.

that type of stuff works all too well with jamal mikal--

a slumdog who will do anything to achieve his passions.