Tom and Anita Kando
The movie is admittedly excellent, and real. What gets us, though, is the nearly unanimous use by reviewers and commentators of happy words like "uplifting" and "exhilarating" to describe this movie. Instead, we would use words such as "scary" and "nightmarish."
The conditions depicted in this film are like Dante's inferno. The poverty and squalor of vast tracts of Mumbai, a typical Indian mega-city. Shanty cardboard towns as far as the eye can see. What we are shown is the Armageddon to which the world may be coming, due to over-population and a globalized growth economy. People living on giant waste disposal dumps the size of mid-size American towns, like scavenging vultures. Human anthills. The horror of garbage-infested streams in which people bathe, a child escaping through feces. The terror of murderous tribal strife, in which people torch each other to death. Child kidnappers who burn out their victims' eyes to make them more effective beggars. Then the grotesque contrast with billion-dollar luxury skyscrapers inhabited by millionaire gangsters. This is uplifting? Yes, the movie deserves its Oscar. But uplifting? No. Frightening and horrific, yes.leave comment here
3 comments:
Do you think that a movie portraying slum life in some of the poorest inner-cities of American could have been as moving and worthy of an Oscar Nomination as Slumdog Millionaire? I dont think so. Our slums are not as destitute as the ones in Slumdog but some of the issues that plague our inner cities are just as devastating to the lives of children and families. Thanks for putting the Slumdog movie in context. I agree that it was more horrifying to watch how people live in those areas. I was not uplifted by this movie but I was made more conscious of the everyday life experiences of some of the poorest around the world.
Right.
The movie is exceptional due to a combination of heart-wrenching documentation and exotic culture. The problem with most popular culture depictions of American inner-city life is that they are sensationalized and vulgar, focusing on the titillation of crime, violence and drugs.
I am still waiting for an American "Slumdog Millionaire" from Hollywood. There is no reason why such a movie of true Oscar caliber, and depicting domestic conditions, could not be made...
I agree. An American Slumdog Milliionaire will enable the rest of the world to see that we in America have our poor and forgotten as well.
Great Piece
Gail
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