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Last night we saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was a soaring and moving experience. We sat down in the crowded theater, and we watched the previews as my mind did the reality-detachment dance. However, when the opening frame flashed upon the screen with text that read, Mumbai 2006, my heart skipped a couple beats as I thought about the reality of the past week in Mumbai — a place I have never been, but a place I would like to go.

I was quickly drawn back into the story, which finds the main character being interrogated (tortured) by the police. They are attempting to find out how this slumdog came to be waiting on the chance to win twenty million rupees. (via the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire)

Through a clever retelling of the slumdog’s life, we learn how he knew the answers. Obviously, I’m not going to give away how it ends, but I strongly recommend that you see this movie. It’s easily one of my best of 2008, and one of my favorites of the past few years.

The characters of this film, the places and situations are made of a strong humanity that was very real, conflicted, and ultimately, extremely compelling. Thanks to my sister for the recommendation!

Side note: we bought tickets while sitting at dinner using the internets. As the line was piling up for the 7pm showing, we decided to spend an agonizing 15 minutes trying to purchase tickets via moviefone.com for the 8:30pm show… luckily, we prevailed, and good thing too, as the movie was sold out!