Grt movie. Engaging story, put you at the edge of your seat throughout. One is anxious to find out how the main character got to know the answers to all those questions, as his past events unfold. Great directing (Danny Boyle, who did "28 days after" which is amazing; also "trainspotting" which is classic of course). Definitely one more push in the "India fever" - the 2 major India contemporary art exhibitions - one in MORI in Tokyo and the other in Serpentine in London - seem extremely well timed. Amazed once again how pop culture exports can change one's perception of a country and its people!! (ref the Americans first and foremost, then HK - for a while - and then the Koreans more recently)
Now, here's the interesting question. Slumdog is modern. You can read India's economic development and modern history in it. Its a story that travels, but also distinctly Indian - eg, the slums, the under-classed, the dreams - realised and dashed, and the urban development. With the movie, viewers get to be amused and fascinated by modern India. For all we know, this could be the perfect first leap of Bollywood into Hollywood, and the beginning of a bigger India culture followership. Now here's the constrast - we have tons of Chinese movies that were very popular in the West a few years ago - eg, Crouching Tiger, House of Flying Daggers, Banquet, Hero...etc. But ALL of these are costume drama that doesnt really related (at least asethetically) to modern China. So, is that all China had to offer? Sth from 2000 years ago? Why cant we produce something that is about modern China, how it has developed and grown, and have that travel to reach out to an international audience? Or are we too afraid of showing modern China - too much tension in society, too many "real problems", and so, better not to "let outsiders know" how modern China is? We used to have those back in the Zhang Yimou days - and more recently from Jia Zhangke etc - but such stories seem far and afew. You cant blame "culture" as the barrier - if Slumdog can make it, surely a contemporary Chinese story can as well. China is no more/less "exotic" than India in that sense
So while I love Slumdog, I did leave the cinema thinking why cant Chinese make more movies that reflect what's happening in our society and let that speaks for the people and allow viewers to understand modern China more. Why do we have to use sth that is 2000 years ago - is that all we have to offer culturally?
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