The buzz of 2008 award season: Slumdog Millionaire.

It’s unlikely that I am the only film fan allergic to anything that resembles hyping; worry not, it comes not from a love of snobbism, but rather that I like making up my own mind about a film without feeling like anyone is trying to tell me what to think. Somehow when I think “award season hit”, I think “boring”, mostly because there can be so much snobbism in this phenomenon. Season 2008 fractured my relationship with The Dark Knight for good, as fans all over the world harrassed everyone available about how TDK was the best film ever made. I dislike the notion that there is one film a year that is good, and the rest fades in comparison. It’s not realistic. Slumdog Millionaire’s winning streak had me doubting wether I wanted to see it or not. Was this a hype, or was it an actually good film? It didn’t help the sentiment that Slumdog Millionaire won both more and less prestigeous prizes against genius underdogs like Hunger, In Bruges and Happy-Go-Lucky. I loved these three films and thought to myself; how could Slumdog be so much better that it wins everything, leaving these small masterpieces with nearly nothing?

The answer was found when I sat myself down to watch it anyway. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal, an orphan from the slums of India. Jamal becomes a contestant on India’s version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”, and as he answers the questions, we are taken back in time to see his tough life as a young boy with no home or family. The story of his life is heartbreaking, and it soon becomes clear that the outcome of this gameshow can make the difference between absolutely nothing and absolutely everything; and it’s not just the money.

Slumdog Millionaire is an adapted screenplay, based on the book by Vikas Swarup; the screenplay is written by Simon Beaufoy. Slumdog is by no means one of those shining-dialogue films with quotes that can be eternalized or kept close to the heart; the strength of Slumdog is not in the dialogue, it is in the magic of the story. You will be swept away into a world you’ve never seen before, but is all too real, and you will laugh and cry. The genius cinematography (which can be accredited to director Danny Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle) takes you on a journey where you will very likely try to resist blinking, just to not miss anything. The story and cinematography alone make this film a solid winner.

The actors do their jobs well; although they are not the main strength of the film, but they aren’t a weakness, either. Especially the child actors are astonishing, breathtakingly believable. These children are amazingly coming literally straight from the slums; they are not trained actors, they have likely never acted before in their lives. The children were present at the award ceremonies, but were notably sent back to the slums afterwards, which shouldn’t be a surprise to those who know how the film industry works.

A moral strength that is worth noting, is the fact that this film in no way portrays life in the slums with upperclass pitty, something I did sense in films such as Beyond Borders and The Constant Gardener; also solid films, but nearly drowning in a sense of pitty, wallowing in the beauty of poverty, almost a visit to the zoo. Slumdog Millionaire simply shows the life there as it is, without  scored shots of starving babies, and brave poor people singing songs. It’s a matter of fact film, quite like The Kite Runner, that allows you to relate to characters from a completely different world

So is Slumdog deserving of its winning nearly every award possible? It’s certainly not undeserving. I highly recommend this film, I highly recommend you watch it - and you will not have a bad time, even if it turns out to be ‘not your thing’. Because truthfully, its indeniable quality doesn’t change the fact that it’s not necessarily my thing. As you may have noticed in my order of treating subjects; I’m more of a dialogue film fan. Tarantino, Scorsese, Shane Black, Martin McDonagh. Even still, I can appreciate many films that are less powered by dialogue, but in the end Slumdog just felt too impersonal for me; it felt like the kind of film that everyone likes, but nobody is really in love with. It’s very deserving of its critical acclaim, but it could have spared a few prizes for McQueen, McDonagh and Leigh.