Posted on 12/04/2008 1:20:50 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
"Does it have subtitles?" I asked.
My friend Nina wanted to see a Bollywood film with the weird title of "Slumdog Millionaire." I preferred to see the new James Bond film because, really, I just wanted -- during the Thanksgiving holiday -- to put my brain on cruise control for an hour or two and watch good ol' reliable 007 blast bad guys.
"Sort of," she said.
"Oh."
"But I've heard amazing things about this film," she insisted. So off we went.
Movie reviews that reveal too much always bother me. So here's an outline -- and I mean outline, because for a brief 120 minutes, "Slumdog Millionaire" surprises, astounds, amazes, entrances and intrigues. It is, at its bottom, a love story.
A dirt-poor orphan boy, Jamal, ends up on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." How he got there, why he got there, how an uneducated young man managed to answer questions -- well, that's the journey.
This is also a story about the path taken by two brothers. It is about cruelty and exploitation and the abject, completely dehumanizing poverty in India, a destitution that even the poorest among us would find unimaginable.
And how ironic that much of the film takes place in Mumbai, India. For on the day we watched the film, Indian authorities almost 9,000 miles away fought with Islamic terrorists who launched multiple attacks, ultimately leaving more than 170 dead and hundreds more wounded.
The viewer of this film is stunned -- time and time again -- at the poverty that makes the poorest rundown shack in Appalachia look like the honeymoon suite at the Bellagio.
In America, we consider a family of four "poor" if its annual income falls below $21,203. And we actually undercount income -- ignoring assets accumulated in prior years and disregarding non-cash welfare, such as taxpayer-funded education, lunch programs, health care, food stamps and subsidies for public housing. Only 6 percent of poor households, according to The Heritage Foundation, are overcrowded -- meaning more than one person per room. More than two-thirds of "poor" Americans live in housing with more than two rooms per person. And 43 percent of America's poor households own their own homes -- and the average poor person's home has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a garage and a porch or a patio.
"Overall," writes Heritage, "the typical American defined as poor by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians."
"Nearly three-quarters of poor U.S. households own a car," says the study, "31 percent own two or more cars. Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions. Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception. Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher."
In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population -- rich and poor -- lived with air conditioning, while today 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. The average poor American has more living space than the average citizen -- of all income levels -- living in many cities throughout Europe, including Paris, London, Vienna and Athens.
Right now, our economy is in a recession of unknown duration, with rising unemployment and vast economic anxiety. But we live here, in America -- a country of vast prosperity, freedom of choice, and a control over our own destinies that much of the world simply finds breathtaking. And this film reminds us that things could be worse -- much, much worse.
There are good movies. And then there are movies where everything works -- the story, the acting, the experience. These are the films where -- when they end -- the audience just sits there. Stunned. Numb. We watch while the credits roll, as the soundtrack plays. We sit, take in, reflect upon, and try to get our heads around what happened during the last two hours.
When Nina and I walked out of the theater, we started talking with another couple. "I grew up poor," the woman said, "or I thought I did. But then my brother, who had been stationed in Bosnia, came home. He said, 'I've seen real poverty, and I'll never complain again.'" And neither will anyone else who sees this film -- not for a long, long while. Yet above all, "Slumdog" is a story about what kept Jamal going, what drove him to try to survive and cope.
It is called love.
I grew up as a military brat, and spent four years in myself.
Military life was a benefit to me in many ways, but one of the biggest benefits was it allowed me to see other people around the world, and realize just how lucky we are in the USA.
We don’t have REAL poverty in this country the way other countries have REAL poverty. I lived for 2.5 years in Japan, and 2.5 years in the Philippines. Japan was prosperous, but there was real poverty in the Philippines, and that opened my eyes. Then we went to India on our way to Europe, and our family of eight had a 24 hour layover, and nowhere to stay, so we spent an entire night to morning walking around New Delhi...and that was my first introduction to real, abject poverty, abandoned people in the streets who could not care for themselves, etc. That was a real eye opener.
Then, when I was in the Navy, I went to a few places, but the worst was Egypt.
It is a different world out there. And it is a pity so many Americans simply do not know how and why that is true. Sometimes this fact makes me sad, sometimes it makes me angry.
But I do feel lucky as hell.
In Japan while in the Navy I have been to a number of Japanese modest homes heated by the same methods (charcoal brazers). Small but neat homes, futons rolled out for bedding, cushions for furniture, tatami mats on floors, low tables, just a few items tastefully placed.
Meanwhile we have scumbags walking around with their britches below their underwear thinking that they are cool, plugged in 24/7, iPods, cellphones, no poor here in this country, sorry, won’t buy it, too many safety nets.
Saw a guy panhandling for handouts with his usual 8X10 carboard card with “Hungry. God Bless” at a busy intersection where the light was long enough to observe him go to the curb, pull out a cellphone and yak.
If you’re moved to pass a few bucks to a guy with a carboard sign that’s fine, remember, if it’s a lie that sin is upon HIS head, not yours so don’t feel guilty. You were motivated by the right reasons, his was deception.
If that happens, there is no difference between Bolly and Holly except the non-union labor and reduced cost of producing a movie.
It’s worth noting that for all of its accomplishments and the energy of its people, about 25% of the 1.15 BILLION Indian people (a number roughly equal to the total US population of 305M) - live at that level of poverty.
Conditions have started to improve since the Indian economy began moving up and away from socialism in the late 90’s.
That would get you hauled in by social services here, if you got caught. Every family member must have a permanent bed with a mattress, or share a double with no more than one other person. Sitting on cushions to eat Japanese-style? No way.
I think it's a plot by the building industry to force people to buy much bigger houses than they would need if they used the space efficiently.
LOL!! Good one, I also think that you’re on to something.
I’m serious - I looked it up in the state’s regulations, because I feel like a dope using half our house just to sleep in. Gotta have permanent beds for everyone who lives permanently in the house. Sofas and stuff weren’t specifically mentioned, but if someone came in and found no dining chairs, you can bet they’d be calling the authorities.
Quiero vivir en América, donde incluso está gorda la gente pobre.
Most Americans nave never seen or lived arouhnd real poverty. WHich is why they are such a light touch for some less-than-upfront outfits.
Some of the places you've mentioned, Egypt and India, are noted for the gag reflex induced by walking in their slums.
Folks have no idea.
Bravo!
Your panhandler with a cellphone made me think of the last panhandler I gave money to. He claimed to be a former Marine who fought in Vietnam or Desert Storm (don’t remember which). After I heard his story I (uncharacteristically) gave him a few dollars and as I turned away I said, “Semper fi.” His response: “What?”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.