mumbai fairy tale

Robin and I are constantly singing the praises of our adopted hometown. Concord is a special place and Ithank my lucky stars every day for a community where the kids can walk to school, the Salvation Army has half off dishes and tchotkes on Thursday and an independent movie theater with a liquor license is thriving on Main Street.

The crowd at Red River Theaters tends to be older and more sophisticated than the patrons at the two big theaters in town, and for that reason alone I was surprised when several people erupted into spontaneous applause last night at the end of Slumdog Millionaire.

I"m sure I'm not the only one to find Rupert Murdoch and Fox bamboozling. How can the same organization have a movie division (Fox Searchlight Pictures) that puts out unique little films like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, and at the same time have a news division that is a mouthpiece for the most reprehensible aspects of the Republican party?

All I can say is they have another winner, and possible best picture nominee on their hands with this modern fairy tale.

Slumdog Millionaire has to be the most uplifting tragic story ever filmed. With a combination of gorgeous colors, startling images and a powerful soundtrack, the movie fluidly flips and twists between the present and the past to tell its story. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched how an orphan from the ghettos of Mumbai winds up one question away from winning 20,000,000 rupees (about $425,000) on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I won't spoil the ending or the fresh beauty of the story. I'll just say that if you've got a couple loose hours this week, walk downtown, get a glass of the Rosemount cab and settle in.

The picture above of Jamil at about age 7, is from a scene early in the movie that is evocative of the whole -- unexpected, thought provoking, horrifying, and in the end, triumphant.