Slumdog Millionaire, a story with the power to move an audience, has received nearly unanimous praise from critics, perhaps because of its ingeniously structured plot or Director Danny Boyle's deft telling of the story. Reviewers acknowledge its simplicity with astonishment, as if they are surprised that such a conventional story, a love story at that, has moved them so much. The film is beautiful, few will argue that, but are we really to take this film seriously? One reviewer referred to the material as hackneyed while in the same breath he praised it as one of the best films he has seen in years. Is this not a paradox? Why is there such a need to justify enjoying this film? Maybe this betrays a cynicism latent within the viewing body; a reluctance to experience the film with unrestrained joy because of its lack of realism. Fortunately film's virtue does not lie solely in verisimilitude. Slumdog Millionaire is not real, yet it moves its audience, it is not complex, yet it has the feeling of fullness and importance. The virtue of Slumdog Millionaire lies in its unity of art and life which transcends realism.
Historically this unity has been sought by nearly every culture and expressed in myriad ways. The Dutch theologian, Gerardus van der Leeuw, had a name for art that sought unity and expressed the breadth of life; sacer ludus (sacred game or play). In describing the sacer ludus van der Leeuw writes,
From time immemorial, mankind has tried to give its life this dramatic form. Not to some particular event of this life, but to life itself in the greatest possible abbreviation, the resume. Life and death, as they occur in nature and in the life of mankind, the eternal cycle of life to death, death to life, the monotonous but heart stirring rhythm which pulses everywhere, within us and around us, are represented dramatically as movement and counter movement... A work of art arises which we call dance, game, drama, but also liturgy, and for which I suggest the name sacer ludus.
To van der Leeuw Primitive art forms were nearly pure examples of sacer ludus, in which there was no distinction between life and art. But there were later forms that he believed contained vestiges of this phenomenon. One was the commedia dell'arte or "a comedy of artists".
Commedia dell'arte first appeared in Italy in the 16th century. A troop of artists would perform as fixed types or tipi fissi. These types were typical of the time period; there was the shopkeeper, the servant, the miser, the whore, the rich and greedy man, and so on. The most important of these types was the inamorati, or young lovers. Generally the plot would hinge on the relationship between these two. A typical plot would consist of these young lovers attempting to marry, only to be blocked usually by their elders. Eventually they would come together and forgiveness would abound for everyone. All of this took place in the street where viewers were able to see themselves reflected. "Life is in no way romanticized." van der Leeuw writes, "It is transferred to the middle of the street. There man can recognize himself in his full, essential absurdity, which simultaneously contains the nucleus of tragedy."
Slumdog Millionaire is a film about young lovers set in the streets of India. Jamal and his older brother, Salim, are orphaned early in their lives when their mother is killed by Hindus who raid their Muslim slum. As they escape the slums of Mumbai a young girl named Latika, who has been orphaned as well, follows them. It is clear from the beginning that Jamal is in love with Latika. What follows are continuous movements and counter movements between Jamal and Latika. Throughout the film they are united only to be quickly separated and often at the hands of Jamal's brother, Salim. Salim is clear in expressing that he is the eldest and, for that reason, Jamal should do as he says. Along the way they encounter gangsters, crime bosses, rich and greedy men, prostitutes, child beggars, and so on. Eventually Salim asks Latika for forgiveness as he helps her leave to be with Jamal. Salim then gives his life in an act of penance and, in so doing, insures that Jamal and Latika are safe. Finally the young lovers are united.
The similarities are obvious and we can see the common threads that run through sacer ludus, commedia dell'arte, and finally, through Slumdog Millionaire. But what do we make of these fixed types and expected endings? Are we to believe that in their lack of complexity they are faithful depictions of life? Van der Leeuw believed that behind this typification was a "hidden wisdom." Certainly this way of depicting life has received its share of criticisms and much of those criticisms continue today, as evidenced by some of the reviews mentioned earlier, who argue that life and individuals in their increasing complexity cannot possibly be reduced to simple endings and fixed types. Van der Leeuw addresses this type of thinking as he writes;
In the nineteenth century our fathers were convinced that life had become so complicated that it was impossible to make do with a small number of basic characters... Today life has become still more complicated. Is it not possible that these opinions appear a bit naïve to us? The ‘multiplicity of characters could not be exhausted with two hundred thousand types: but the number of primary colors in nature, as on our palettes, remains no less limited than before.'
Life is not trivialized or reduced by this simplification, rather it is ritualized. It becomes something sacred as it is played out before us, and our responses are evidence of this. We laugh, cry, and long for what we see in front of us; we are moved as we experience moments of transcendence.
Still what do we make of these expected endings? Are they not simplified? Yes they are simple, but in the case of both commedia dell'arte and Slumdog Millionaire they provide direction and unity. In commedia dell'arte everything is improvised but the ending is assured. In Slumdog Millionaire there is the feeling that life unfolds arbitrarily but, again, the ending is fixed, written, or destined. But destined for what? The inamorati, or young lovers, are destined for each other, destined for unity. Destiny in the context of Slumdog Millionaire is really faith in this inevitability. So this final uniting of man and woman moves from type to symbol, a symbol of unity.
In all of this there is something inexpressible taking place. Dance, game, and drama all arise and are present in this film (quite literally in some instances). In the act of witnessing movement and counter movement, lives unfolding before us, comedy and tragedy, and eventual unity, we are really witnessing our own lives. We are led to reverence for life in its totality, recognition of its beauty and mystery. Suddenly we are aware that the whole of life is sacred. In the context of our culture, which is deprived of experiences of beauty and unity, it is no wonder that so many have been taken by this "simple" film.
