In many ways, Slumdog Millionaire is the story of two brothers, but it's also the story of the Hindu version of Romeo and Juliet... or that of a Christ figure who overcomes the obstacles of the world to save his own soul, and maybe others as well. While many of the films that win awards often strike me as worthless in terms of morality or meaning, Slumdog Millionaire rises up out of the grit and grime to win your heart and capture your mind.

With wonderful literary ties to the work of Alexander Dumas, The Three Musketeers, the movie revolves around the exploits of Jamal (Dev Patel) as he fights to win the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, interchanged with flashbacks to the life of our hero's past. Danny Boyle of Trainspotting, Millions, and Sunshine shines here as the director of the Vikas Swarup novel-turned-blockbuster, leading a group of unknowns into the spotlight. It's not just the format or the cinematography, though, that wins here: it's the story of hope and redemption.

No matter what your situation, you are probably worse off financially than you were a year ago. In Slumdog Millionaire, the poorest poor, the outcast, wins a million, wins the girl, and redeems his life of pain and misery. This lovable loser (in terms of his status) represents a new life redeemed that we can hope for ourselves, and shows how an unrelenting love can conquer all. We see what the competition is, not a goal, but a means to an end, in regaining the love of his life. That's what winning the contest means to the boy, and what it can mean to us, but I think that it can mean so much more, too.

Slumdog proves that the littlest can rise, that the strongest survive (but not the biggest, baddest, or boldest), that love never fails, but most of all: the truth will set you free. I just love that. I think that while Slumdog Millionaire is entertaining, inspiring, and beautiful, the fact that the truth sets Jamal free is the moment where I recognize that the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the unrelenting love of God shines through our everyday moments. It's the moment where I recognize that love (and truth and hope) shine through in the darkest of days and in places (like a Hindu-themed movie!) that you might never expect.

There's redemption here, in the relationship of Jamal and Latika (Freida Pinto), but there's also redemption in the life of Jamal's brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal). While this isn't the main point of the movie, as it isn't directly tied to the game show, it is worth noting that the Cain-and-Abel vibe does get broken up by sacrificial love, and the breaking of sin's bonds. Those who have ANY desire to change, any amount of goodness held up within their hearts, cannot help but be redeemed by the goodness emanating from Jamal's quest.

And so, I'll recommend my second or third foreign language movie of all time! It's a bit tricky, and it does employ flashbacks quite extensively (Lost fans will love it!). But the heart of the film is a heart of gold, not the kind that's won on the game show or the kind that the statues the film won are made of, but the kind of joy that rises when souls are redeemed and truth sets us free.