Hollywood meets Bollywood in a wonderful, tough film about two orphan brothers who grow up in extreme poverty in contemporary India; it is Oliver Twist Redux with a Quiz Show twist.
One of the brothers, Jamal, goes his own way and gets a job serving tea to workers at a TV studio. He applies to be a contestant in the Hindi version of “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire”. As the questions progress, the film takes us back to how Jamal learned the answers.
So far, this is with my top ten films of the year. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting; Millions) shows us how we can be human in a globalizing political-social economy that places so little value on humanity.
The actors project a special authenticity that engages the viewer. The scenarios are intense. The film is artistic even at its darkest moments.
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