There’s certain directors who you should just always see.  If a film comes out directed by Ang Lee or Marc Forster or Steven Spielberg, you should plan on going, even if the subject matter doesn’t appeal to you.  The work from these directors, even at its worst, is better than 90% of the shit that’s out there.  Danny Boyle is one such director.  You’ll know him from his brilliantly diverse roster of films prior to Slumdog Millionaire: Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions, etc. 

Sure, he’s had his failures (Sunshine springs to mind), but every film is an experiment in style - and even when those experiments fail, the choices are all very intentional.

With Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle leaves the UK for the first time and takes western audiences on an intense journey to India.  But you’d never know, watching the film, that a white guy from Manchester was directing, as he documents the world with both sensitivity and awareness.  Of course Simon Beaufoy’s fantastic adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel makes the job all the easier for Boyle.  This screenplay was actually one of 2007’s Black List (the most-loved screenplays of the year, as polled by Hollywood film execs).  And the awards are already piling up; Slumdog won for best director and best film at the British Independent Film Awards, Austin & Chicago Film Festivals - and has been nominated for 4 Golden Globes - Best Director, Best Picture (Drama) and Best Screenplay amongst them.

And it’s no wonder, because Slumdog is an incredibly unique film.  It manages to be hopeful, romantic, incredibly bleak and painfully violent all in the same breath.  Its cast - children and adults alike - all turn in solid performances.  And the cinematography / production design are nothing short of beautiful.