Danny Boyle
Slumdog Millionaire

Watching Slumdog Millionaire is like watching an episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" With a few small differences.

If the feeling of having the answer on the tip of your tongue or the frustration of not being completely sure of knowing it (not to mention the embarrassment of being the only one among the people you're watching the film or show with who doesn't know it at all!) is the same, the process of reaching that answer is different for every individual. However, while watching the film, we are all united and eager to discover why the protagonist manages to know all the questions he is asked.

How can a "street dog" from the slums of Mumbai make it to the final question is soon revealed, in a story told across three time levels that make up Jamal's life, from when he was sitting as a child in a defecating position in a latrine, to when he finds himself sitting in an equally uncomfortable position in the chair of a TV show set, winning 20 million rupees. How this tea server in a call center can know with extreme certainty and apparent ease all those answers is the question that accompanies us throughout the film, making both the police, who arrest him on charges of cheating, and the famous Indian host Prem nervous.

It is simply his life lived on the streets of India, represented in all its harshness and misery, that allows him to overcome every question, each time giving up something much more tangible than the money offered to stop, from the invaluable price of an autograph from the most famous Indian actor for a child to the value of the lives of his own friends and family. And that's it, the essence of a film that could have been perfect if we consider the ending solely as a simple homage to Bollywood cinema and nothing more, but which remains interesting, enjoyable, rhythmic, and captivating. If only it had had a more authoritative and prominent soundtrack than it already has, and a clearer and more revealing explanation for the final question, it would have truly been the film to replace Trainspotting in my personal ranking of Danny Boyle's filmography.

But maybe it's just me who asked too much from this excellent film, which did not fully (but believe me, it did for the most part) meet my expectations, providing a relatively too simple answer to my demanding question.