正文
我一直把所有的電影分為三類，
看不下去的，
看的下可看完就忘的，
看過後回味不斷的。
英國影片“Slumdog Millionaire”無疑是第三類。不光是回味不斷，我可是說是feel haunted.
故事發生在孟買。著名的遊戲秀“誰想成為百萬富翁”，來參賽的是貧民窟裏走出來的十八歲的瘦弱少年Jamal Malik。他已經贏得了一千萬盧比，再答對一個問題，他就是百萬美金的得主了。沒有人能夠相信這個從貧困和暴力掙紮出來，沒有受過任何教育的slumdog，能不通過作弊走到這一步。於是，影片的一開始，他被逮捕，折磨，審問，警察想讓他交待到底用什麽手段騙錢。
Jamal從節目的第一個問題起，開始慢慢的講述生活怎樣教會他這些答案。像他說的，you don't have to be a genius to know this.影片一直在他的童年，少年和現在交替，而我們看到Jamal的一生一直在跑，不是從死亡，危險，饑餓跑離，就是跑向他生命中的意義 - 營救那個他幾歲時就救過的女孩Latika。
Slum, 中文好像沒有很確切的譯詞，貧民窟好像遠不能表現印度甚至西方文化中那種避之如瘟疫的感覺，共產黨在1949年成功的消滅了貧富差距，對某些人是紅樓夢的結局，可對另外很多人來說，他們被從死亡的邊緣拉回來，有了社會地位，這個是不能磨滅的。我先生去印度出差兩月，和同事提起在中國沒有見到印度那樣隨處可見的slum，同事說因為中國是集權統治，政府可以把人們挪來挪去，而印度是民主國家，政府拿這些人沒有辦法。可是我想，這決不是唯一，甚至主要的原因。
印度經過幾千年的種姓製度和幾百年的殖民地，好像大家（“高等”和“低等”人）都接受了一個事實 - 人和人是不平等的，有些人生來低賤，高等人需要低等人來服侍，於是，在現代化的高樓大廈中間，夾雜著以百萬計的slumdogs,他們掙紮在街和死亡的邊緣，像動物一樣生存著，沒有尊嚴也不懂得要求尊嚴。
Jamal就是這樣的一個孩子，更甚的是，他是穆斯林，所以還要忍受宗教的爭戰。他和哥哥Salim很小就成了孤兒，為了生存，他們走了兩條截然不同的路。作為一個母親，看到影片中一幕幕這些孩子的遭遇，我感到徹骨的冷，心在一點點流血，雖然導演不時加入一些笑料，讓片子有了一些喜劇色彩。
Jamal雖然長在惡劣的環境，身上卻又一種近乎基督一樣的精神。他不懼強暴，一心一意想營救心愛的女孩，不管她身在何處，遭遇如何。這個角色非常動人，不能不歸功於Dev Patel的成功表演。Dev Patel是英國生長的印度裔，看采訪非常活潑的大男孩，可是卻把Jamal看似平靜但苦難重重的內心表現的淋漓盡致，催人淚下。
生活裏，我想更多的slumdogs如果不是昏昏噩噩的終其一生，更多的是走上Salim的道路。Salim從開始本能的求生，到適應並利用slum的弱肉強食，我們看到一點點童真的泯滅，良知的喪失。這比看到忍饑挨餓的孩子更讓人痛心。
其實，想看slum不用去印度，美國本土也有不少。大城市人人躲避的黑人區，那裏的很多孩子可能不用像印度同伴一樣，時刻與垃圾糞便為伍，可是他們同樣不知道生活還有希望。他們從小看到的是槍殺，毒品，從未謀麵的父親，精神恍惚的母親。他們靠本能生存，掙紮在各種危險的邊緣。所以很多人都奧巴馬當選的一個重要意義就是給這些孩子光明，讓他們看到生活還可以是另外一種樣子，雖然奧巴馬本人沒有slum的經曆，他對貧窮卻不陌生，不同的是他有個很有尊嚴的母親。
而Jamal，是否也能給印度的slumdogs一些啟示？如果他們能看到這部影片。據說三個主要小演員裏的兩個的確是slum的孩子，不知道他們的境遇能否有所改變？
（10 out of 10)
I classify movies into 3 categories:
The ones I can't finish,
The ones I can finish but won't remember a week later
And the ones I can't forget.
"Slumdog Millionaire" is definitely in the third category. As a matter of fact, I've been haunted by it.
Jamal Malik, a slumdog from Mumbai (Bombay), is one question away from winning 22Million Rupees on the hit show - the Indian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire". However, no one can believe someone who grew up in poverty and violence with little education could have carried the game this far. Therefore, he was being humiliated and interrogated by the police officers. They want to know how he'd cheated. So he starts explaining how he learned of these answers through trials and suffering.
The movie was weaved back and forth between his childhood and the present. For all of Jamal's life, he was either running away (from death, threat, arrest, hunger) or running to (the girl he rescued as a child and believed destined for him).
I can't think of a Chinese term that would translate "slum" accurately. "Poor neighborhood" is all I can think of. Even that hasn't been around for very long. The Communist took over in 1949. To some it meant vanished dreams and prosperity. While to others, they were ransomed from death and given dignities they had never know. For decades people were fairly equal (equally poor if you will. Equal nonetheless).
My husband was in India for a couple months last year. He mentioned to his Indian colleagues that there were no slums in Chinese cities, like those he saw in India. His colleagues said indignantly it was because China had dictatorship. The government could herd people around while India was a democracy. There was nothing they could do about the slums.
That, true may it sound, is not the only reason, probably not even the main reason. Thousands of years of caste system, added by hundreds of years of colonialism, you end up with a culture where mostly people ("high" and "low") believe that it is a natural order that all men are not equal. Some are born subhuman to serve others. Thus among the beautiful Mumbai skylines scatter millions living in slums, surviving like animals. They have no dignities. Neither do they realize they need them.
Jamal is one of these kids. Furthermore, he's a Muslim. So he has to endure religious persecution on top of everything else. He and big brother Salim were orphaned at a very young age, left all alone in this world to fetch their own survivals. Watching scene after scene of the children's suffering, as a mother I can feel my heart bleeding. The director added comical effects ever now and then. But you can't help but think if there is God.
Jamal, despite the little light he's ever seen in life, is almost Christ like. He's determined and hopeful. He fears no power or violence. He single-mindedly tries to save Latika, wherever she is, whatever her situation. British born and raised actor Dev Patel did a superb job portraying this unbelievable character. He gives him much humanity and charm. It's hard to believe he's only 18 years old while his acting seemed very mature.
However, I'd think most slumdog would end up more like Salim, if they survived and didn't disappear into anonymity. Salim survived on instinct. He learned and used then abused the slum system (gangsters). We see step by step the loss of innocence. This is even more heartbreaking then watching children in starvation.
Actually, we don't have to go far to see slums. We all know where those neighborhoods are in metropolitan areas. We all try to avoid them. The children there may not have to live in feces like their Indian counterparts. But they too have no hope in life. They witnessed guns and drugs than books. They only know absent fathers and doped mothers. Like Salim they survive only on instinct. That's why many hope Obama's presidency would bring lights and aspirations to these children. They're shown that there is alternative.
So will the India slumdog see some hope and strength from Jamal's story? If they can see the movie at all. I read two out of the three youngest actors were actually slum children. Would their lot be changed by this movie? I sure hope so.
Jamal的演員很帥，可惜是英國人--他會不會印度語有些值得懷疑，至少在影片中他似乎一直講得都是英文。而Jamal是無法給印度的slumdogs啟示的。因為他根本就是英國殖民文化意淫出來的產物。Salim更好些，至少這個人物結構還存在些可信的東西。
看到那個瞎了眼的孩子非常篤定的一口說出說那個有點胖，頭發披一邊的頭像是本傑明富蘭克福，我也深深地體會，you don't have to be a genius to know this。