我一直把所有的电影分为三类，

看不下去的，
看的下可看完就忘的，
看过后回味不断的。

英国影片“Slumdog Millionaire”无疑是第三类。不光是回味不断，我可是说是feel haunted.

故事发生在孟买。著名的游戏秀“谁想成为百万富翁”，来参赛的是贫民窟里走出来的十八岁的瘦弱少年Jamal Malik。他已经赢得了一千万卢比，再答对一个问题，他就是百万美金的得主了。没有人能够相信这个从贫困和暴力挣扎出来，没有受过任何教育的slumdog，能不通过作弊走到这一步。于是，影片的一开始，他被逮捕，折磨，审问，警察想让他交待到底用什么手段骗钱。

Jamal从节目的第一个问题起，开始慢慢的讲述生活怎样教会他这些答案。像他说的，you don't have to be a genius to know this.影片一直在他的童年，少年和现在交替，而我们看到Jamal的一生一直在跑，不是从死亡，危险，饥饿跑离，就是跑向他生命中的意义 - 营救那个他几岁时就救过的女孩Latika。

Slum, 中文好像没有很确切的译词，贫民窟好像远不能表现印度甚至西方文化中那种避之如瘟疫的感觉，共产党在1949年成功的消灭了贫富差距，对某些人是红楼梦的结局，可对另外很多人来说，他们被从死亡的边缘拉回来，有了社会地位，这个是不能磨灭的。我先生去印度出差两月，和同事提起在中国没有见到印度那样随处可见的slum，同事说因为中国是集权统治，政府可以把人们挪来挪去，而印度是民主国家，政府拿这些人没有办法。可是我想，这决不是唯一，甚至主要的原因。

印度经过几千年的种姓制度和几百年的殖民地，好像大家（“高等”和“低等”人）都接受了一个事实 - 人和人是不平等的，有些人生来低贱，高等人需要低等人来服侍，于是，在现代化的高楼大厦中间，夹杂着以百万计的slumdogs,他们挣扎在街和死亡的边缘，像动物一样生存着，没有尊严也不懂得要求尊严。

Jamal就是这样的一个孩子，更甚的是，他是穆斯林，所以还要忍受宗教的争战。他和哥哥Salim很小就成了孤儿，为了生存，他们走了两条截然不同的路。作为一个母亲，看到影片中一幕幕这些孩子的遭遇，我感到彻骨的冷，心在一点点流血，虽然导演不时加入一些笑料，让片子有了一些喜剧色彩。

Jamal虽然长在恶劣的环境，身上却又一种近乎基督一样的精神。他不惧强暴，一心一意想营救心爱的女孩，不管她身在何处，遭遇如何。这个角色非常动人，不能不归功于Dev Patel的成功表演。Dev Patel是英国生长的印度裔，看采访非常活泼的大男孩，可是却把Jamal看似平静但苦难重重的内心表现的淋漓尽致，催人泪下。

生活里，我想更多的slumdogs如果不是昏昏噩噩的终其一生，更多的是走上Salim的道路。Salim从开始本能的求生，到适应并利用slum的弱肉强食，我们看到一点点童真的泯灭，良知的丧失。这比看到忍饥挨饿的孩子更让人痛心。

其实，想看slum不用去印度，美国本土也有不少。大城市人人躲避的黑人区，那里的很多孩子可能不用像印度同伴一样，时刻与垃圾粪便为伍，可是他们同样不知道生活还有希望。他们从小看到的是枪杀，毒品，从未谋面的父亲，精神恍惚的母亲。他们靠本能生存，挣扎在各种危险的边缘。所以很多人都奥巴马当选的一个重要意义就是给这些孩子光明，让他们看到生活还可以是另外一种样子，虽然奥巴马本人没有slum的经历，他对贫穷却不陌生，不同的是他有个很有尊严的母亲。

而Jamal，是否也能给印度的slumdogs一些启示？如果他们能看到这部影片。据说三个主要小演员里的两个的确是slum的孩子，不知道他们的境遇能否有所改变？

（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.