Danny Boyle, a director known for his visual flair and dynamic approach to storytelling, puts a characteristically lively touch on this film. He illuminates the colors and vibrance of Indian culture while also showing the grittiness of these characters' lives, bringing the slums to life in eye-catching but heartbreaking ways.
Boyle uses a slowed-down frame rate in order to show clear transitions between present day and the memories that Jamal is reliving while being interrogated by the police. This effect makes it seem as though these moments have slowed down, and at other moments the use of a shaky handheld camera gives the feeling of being off-balance. Boyle's command of cinematographic methods to enhance his imagery pulls the viewer in to the story of Jamal and everything he has been through in his life.
Boyle also uses specific editing techniques in order to enhance our understanding of the characters' attitudes. One example is when Jamal is telling the story of his mother’s death. We see her lying face down in the water as the frame slides into present day on a close up of Jamal in the police station. This edit shows that his mother and her death still hang very prominently in Jamal’s thoughts, and the editing, the way one slides into another, shows its enduring impact on Jamal's psyche.
Boyle also uses a slanted camera angle many times in the film. We see it when Latika first meets the brothers, soon after they are left on their own. He also uses this composition when shooting the antagonists, such as Maman and his thugs. We see them slanted drastically to show they are men who are not centered, and the children we see slanted as well to signify that they are enduring unusual obstacles.
Boyle is able to take a very commercial show like Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, full of high-key lights that make everything look fake, and weave it into a colorful palette of real life and flashback. His juxtaposition of the shiny and the gritty, as well as his grasp of drama and suspense, make for a particularly momentous ending. His mastery of various filming techniques as well as his attention to the compelling and deceptively simple central plot—Jamal's desire to be reunited with Latika—makes for a dramatic, compelling, and heartwarming film, embraced by audiences and critics alike.
