Random Ranting

this is unfinished, unedited, and relatively incoherent...but whatever, read it if you want to...otherwise, occupy yourself elsewhere...

okay, to all the die hard slumdog fans out there--sorry. but i keep thinking about this movie and all the critical acclaim it has received and somehow i just can't seem to process. i think that this movie makes the situation seem a lot less complicated than it really is and there's something disconnected about it. and i'm not complaining that it paints an unreal picture of mumbai, because many people do live at that level of poverty, if not worse. and to indians complaining that it sheds a bad light on india by painting it as a third world country, i say--tough! take it as incentive to address the problem rather than ignoring what is. but the ending of the movie is unrealistic. there is a very obvious disconnect between the younger versions of jamal malik and the older jamal who goes on millionaire. that sort of transition is a lot to swallow. the confidence, security, calm and composure he displays is usually the result of experiences he couldn't possibly have had. i'm not suggesting that kids who grew up in slums cannot get ahead in life, i'm just saying that it takes a lot of work, usually an amount bordering on supernatural, to bring about that kind of turnaround in one's life. and people who don't fully understand the reality and nuances of the situation try to fix it in ways that may be more damaging in the long run. massive fundraising campaigns have taken place as a result of this movie. and the problem that arises is that westerners will continue to think that throwing money at the problem will fix it. then they can feel good about themselves because they've "done their part". and indians turn a blind eye because they know that the job is far too overwhelming, then they feel indignant that westerners make such a big deal about it. the movie touched american consciences because it's really an american dream kind of story where an underdog overcomes overwhelming odds to realize his dream. if the movie was set in america, i might be more inclined to believe it. instead, in this case, i would argue that this is opposite of how indians view the world in that your birth determines everything that matters in life from the kind of job one can hold to the kind of person one can marry. tradition overrules just about everything. i do think things are changing but it'll be a while. in addition, i keep wanting to ask the question: would this movie (as is) have received so many oscars had an indian directed it? then again, the india portrayed in the movie is the view of a outsider looking in rather than an indian telling the story. and if it were an indian telling the story, it would probably have been told in a very different way and maybe not garnered as much attention on the international scene. part of the reason it resonated, i think, was because what's his face told the story from the outsider's point of view and so outsiders can easily identify and sympathize. anyways, all those points aside, one final thought: if india is going to see change, it will have to start with indians, not westerners. yes, we thank them for bringing the gospel to india, but their bringing the gospel doesn't give them the monopoly on morality and ethics.

well...anyways...after all, i guess it's just a movie and maybe i should put my annoyances aside. knowing me, though, i don't think that's possible...