November 29, 2008

| The Explanatory Power of Images >>

I think you should go see Slumdog Millionaire this weekend. Seriously.

That might seem off-kilter, because this is a movie about Mumbai that is fundamentally optimistic — a comedy, in the classic sense — and the real tale of Mumbai these past few days has been anything but.

But Slumdog Millionaire also has it share of darkness; it doesn’t stint on the grim, weird things that are a part of this city’s life.

More importantly, it is, all together, the most interesting, accessible, and revelatory portrait of modern India I’ve ever seen. And if you find yourself a bit at odds, feeling like you ought to do something — ought to attend to these events mentally or morally in some way — I think learning isn’t a bad place to start.