Slumdog Millionaire

I saw the best movie of 2008 last night. (Yes, I am well aware that we are already in 2009, but this film came out in 2008, so ... there! :p). It's called "Slumdog Millionaire," and it's one of those life-affirming movies that makes you want to run out and grab someone and tell him something, anything. The point is that it makes you want to reach out and connect.

I don't want to give away too much, but I will say this -- the premise of the movie is brilliant. It's based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup, which I've never read but now plan to. The premise is this: Jamal Malik, a young man from the wrong side of the tracks, or a "slumdog," as he's termed, inexplicably gets the chance to go on the Indian version of the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" He is arrested after correctly answering all of the questions and accused of cheating, but as his testimony proves, his very life experiences gave him the clues to each and every question he's asked.

It has elements of a fairy tale, that magical quality that allows you to suspend your belief in favor of wonder, only this fairy tale would have been written by one of the Brothers Grimm, due to the violence and devastation Salim endures as a child. In spite of the hardships he faced, though, Salim is the most painfully hopeful character I've ever encountered in a film, or a book, or a play, for that matter.

This film is labeled as a Drama/Comedy/Romance, and I think that's a good assessment, as the movie has its fair share of all three. Go see it -- you won't be disappointed. Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it: