Slumdog Inspires Gratefulness

We live in a culture in which people would rather see a movie than read a book. Sure, you’re missing out, but at least you can find movies that aim to open your eyes wide enough to take a good look around you. They can change your perspective, maybe even your life.

Perfect example of such a movie: Slumdog Millionaire. Directed by Danny Boyle, the film runs two hours long and carries an R rating.

The movie focuses on Jamal, a young man on India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He shocks everyone by nailing each question, not based on book knowledge, but things he had coincidentally learned in his life experiences. He hopes that winning could help him find his brother, and his childhood love. But the police accuse Jamal of cheating, and try to assault him until he confesses. These brutal beatings accompany the flashbacks to Jamal’s childhood, where destitution and violence followed him everywhere as he grew up in “the slums.”

We don’t see poverty as other countries do. It’s difficult to imagine worse hardships when all we see are homeless people digging for cans or begging for change. This movie provides a small glimpse into an impoverished world, and proves how powerful hope can be when it’s all you have left.

Part romance, part action, Slumdog Millionaire displays modern poverty in a breathtaking movie that is almost guaranteed to make you grateful for what you have and question what you wouldn’t do for love.