Slum Dog Millionaire

Who hasn't heard about Slum Dog Millionaire, between the Oscar buzz and the Human Rights violations Slum Dog had the world talking. There didn't seem to be a day that went by that I didn't hear some new tidbit. A couple of weeks ago I brought It home from the library. When I told Dr. J it was about a boy on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire he fell asleep on the couch. Five minutes in I knew I had to wake him up. It was so bright, so full of life. From the moment the boys start running through the slum I could tell it was going to be something special. The premise is ridiculous and genius. The acting can be cheesy and heart breaking. There is violence, evil, extreme poverty, desperation, exploitation, murder, and yet somehow at the end I was happy. There was an overflow of color. It is not a movie to be taken lightly. I didn't realize until after the movie was over that it was rated R, but I wasn't surprised to find that out later. Multiple murders are witnessed. A man is set on fire. A young boy is blinded. A girl is exploited. Poverty abounds. Still though there is something about it that just catches the imagination. I had to add it to my top five favorite movies. The list currently includes:

Edward Scissor Hands
Forest Gump
The Painted Veil
Benjamin Button
and now
Slum Dog Millionaire