The Cinephile’s Journey: Slumdog Millionaire

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars

The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.

Plot: “A Mumbai teenager reflects on his life after being accused of cheating on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”.” -IMDB

Review: Slumdog Millionaire opens at a frenetic pace that defines Danny Boyle’s directorial style. From beginning to end, it never relaxes or takes its foot off the gas. The staging serves as the source for this breakneck speed.

As a contestant on the Indian version of the popular game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, we will watch Jamal’s (Dev Patel) story unfold. Each question and answer will reveal a flashback to his childhood and early teenage years.

For Jamal, childhood was a test of survival. Forced into unspeakable poverty after the death of their caretaker, Jamal and his brother Salim go to great lengths to make it from one day to the next. Living among the slums and heaps of garbage, they eek out an existence. But this shall not be their fate forever. As if heaven-sent, Jamal and his brother find comfort and protection in a stranger’s home for orphans. But things are not as they seem. His new caretaker teaches them to steal, beg, and…