Slumdog Millionaire Final Scene

This paper will analyze the cinematic elements of the final scene in Slumdog Millionaire (2009), identifying how these elements emphasize the theme of destiny in the film. Slumdog Millionaire is a movie that follows the life of Jamal Malik, an impoverished orphan from Mumbai who has a chance to win 20 million rupees in the most popular game show in India, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He has lived a difficult life, from his poverty, his complex relationship with his brother and his love for Latika. All of his life experiences has allowed him to answer most of the questions in the game show, but his only goal in life is to be reunited with the girl of his dreams. By the end of the movie, he wins the 20 million rupees, and through the sacrifice of his brother, he is able to finally be with Latika. He is able to achieve all of these because, as the film has stated, “It is written.”
The final scene provides the conclusion of the film, as Jamal returns to the train station where he had lost Latika. Despite winning a large sum of money, he is still sad. The only reason he joined the game show was to try and contact Latika. Latika had been taken as the lover of one of Mumbai’s most influential gangsters. She was taken away by Jamal’s own brother, Salim, since Salim was also working for the gangster. As Jamal thinks of his failure to be with Latika in the train station, he sees Latika. As he approaches Latika, he remembers the most important moments in his life—the autograph he got from Amitabh, the death of his mother, the betrayal of his brother and the moment when Latika was abducted in the train station. All of these moments had led him to finally be with Latika, which is highlighted when he says to her “This is our Destiny.” The sce...

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...low private detective. In this scene, the shadows on the face of Sam Spade is very noticeable, especially in the way that it seems to divide his face into black and white halves. Of interest is that this effect is achieved by the use of some object from behind the camera to create the necessary shadow to split his face in half, which is noticeable when he grabs Brigid. This use of low-key lighting and control of shadows not only evokes the mood but also contributes to the characterization of Spam—that he is, as he says, “as crooked as I’m supposed to be.” Sam is not a purely “heroic” character, but more in line with the morally ambiguous detectives featured in hard-boiled detective novels. He does have a sense of justice, especially for his dead partner, hence his giving over of Brigid to the police. But he remains callous, despite Brigid’s obvious feelings for him.