Wednesday, 25 February 2009

• Eight Oscars... wha?!

  So if you're anything like me, you don't really pay attention to all those awards ceremonies on tv. I have better things to do with my Sunday night. However, a film I've been pleasantly surprised with actually did quite well at the Oscar ceremony.

  While most younger audiences were rooting for the Dark Night, very few have heard of a film that's been written off as foreign... Slumdog Millionaire. When I called my family to rave about it over the phone, my mom said it wasn't even showing in Owensboro. A movie that won eight Oscars in total, including best picture, best director, best cinematography and best adapted screenplay wasn't even showing?!

  
  Brandon and I watched the film two weekends ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When we sat down in the theater, I could already tell it was going to be good based on the kind of age group watching along with us... elderly couples. While not always true, I feel like a good rule of thumb is to see what kind of people are watching the movie you're checking out... it tells you more than you might think.

  Slumdog is rated "R" for a few heavy topics that it addresses. The slum children in the movie are taken advantage of time and again; it's heartbreaking to watch. But the cinematography is very well done and the characters are engaging... I've never been sucked into a movie so quickly. You can check out a more thorough review at http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004420.cfm.

  I wondered what the Indians' reactions were to such a gritty feeling movie depicting their way of life. Some were perhaps embarrassed at the U.S.' perception of the Indian slums. "India is not Somalia. We are one of the foremost nuclear powers in the world, our satellites are roaming the universe. Our police commissioners' offices don't look like shacks and there are no blind children begging in the streets of Mumbai," one Indian protested.

  

  Well, the film certainly does draw attention to injustice and extreme poverty in the slum areas. I wonder if Americans will only watch the story for entertainment or actually become mobilized and take an interest in what's going on halfway around the world. For many, it will be a rude awakening.   

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