Friday, November 6, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire

Having a puppy does not afford us the opportunities we once had to watch movies at home. Recently, our over-active pooch has taken to sleeping more since we (well, Christa really) has been good about exercising her a lot during the day. During one of Weaver's naps, we had the opportunity to watch Slumdog Millionaire.

This movie was adored by the Academy, with it winning a great deal of awards. Christa also wanted to give the movie five stars...I found myself unable to give it more than four stars. I found the movie to be very entertaining. It had a happy ending and did some interesting work with multiple layers of flashbacks. It thought the acting was quite good and the dialogue was good as well. Yet, there was something in the film that was lacking for me.

As with many movies, there is a certain amount of reality that you need to be willing to suspend. For not begin a science fiction movie, I felt as though they were asking you to let a lot go to make the plot fit together. I have also been amazed by the number of people that were saying that the movie portrayed an unrealistic and disturbing view of the country of India.

Regardless of its truth (which I know sounds weird), the images of poverty were hard to watch. Children ripped away from their mothers because they were of a different religion. Children stolen in a life of begging. Children blinded on purpose so that they would bring in more money. Children stealing shoes at the Taj Mahal so that they could sell them to other people for money.

The movie reminds us that poverty is everywhere in many forms. As many churches are in the middle of, or soon will be beginning, stewardship drives I encourage you to think about the ways that you can help out those who are underprivileged. You don't have to look as far as India to see the need in the community.

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