Boyle Makes Slums Sparkle

You know those television commercials, seeking aid for indigent, malnourished orphans, in what are now sensitively referred to as “developing countries”? The ones that force-feed pangs of guilt by throwing you from the comfort of your couch to the bare feet of helpless children, robbed of health, hygiene, and basic human dignity? Those who consider themselves more casual film enthusiasts than humanitarian activists will be happy to note, Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t paint that kind of picture.

Rather, director Danny Boyle does a different kind of painting. In his tradition of dark sensations like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, Boyle’s latest film gleams with vivid, lush, even gritty imagery that delivers both insight and escape. Slumdog Millionaire brings viewers along as Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an ill-fated resident from the slums of Mumbai, ascends from his dismal past to the set of India’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Despite the seemingly American prototype of a beggar bound for glory, the heart of the story takes root through the disjointed flashbacks of Jamal’s history, reshaping the hero long before the TV cameras roll.

Like Trainspotting, Boyle’s previous excursion into beautifying the disquieting world of drug addicts, his latest film doesn’t shy away from the startling reality of Indian poverty and deceit. In the opening scene, bathed in smoldering yellow light, smoke, and sweat, Jamal is brutally beaten, under suspicion of cheating his way to millions. As he defends his case to a ruthless investigator (Irrfan Khan), the fleeting images that pique the viewer’s interest fall slowly into place, creating a dreamlike narrative of a nightmare childhood.

Thanks to near-melodramatic cinematography, Jamal’s callous origins present a striking dichotomy that reflects the Indian nation’s crawl into modern capitalism. The Mumbai slum where Jamal and brother Salim emerge sports sharp, albeit colorful edges, from the cobbled shacks to the landscape carved by mountains of trash. As the brothers face their wasteland alone, after a brutal attack by anti-Muslim fanatics leaves their mother dead, their environment transforms into an industrial paradise. As the hopeful, though often gruesome narrative progresses, the sheet-metal hovels give way to stark white skyscrapers, the neighborhood thugs fall to the knees of sharp-dressed gang lords, and destitution (for some) becomes a world of flash, glamour, and ecstatic violence. Despite the country’s rise to wealth and influence, the rough edges of corruption and class struggle refuse to be smoothed over.

Still, if there’s anything in which Boyle excels, it’s the ability to turn devastation into fantasy. The impish boys survive, thanks to their devotion and (ahem) entrepreneurial spirit and Jamal unfailingly propels toward a triumphant destiny that belies his tragic shadows. Though Slumdog Millionaire walks a tightrope between a striking social commentary and a far-fetched hero’s odyssey, it does so in a frenzied circus of imagery that allows viewers to suspend their disbelief. Whether it’s a heroin addict seeking redemption through mediocrity, or a resourceful orphan grasping his fifteen minutes of fame, Boyle transforms bleak worlds into the site of fairytales, and gives us all a reason to root for the underdog.

Enough Noise: Check out Slumdog Millionaire.