"Millions"

Last night I experienced a fascinating little film titled "Millions". Film critic, Roger Ebert, lists it as one of the 10 best films of 2005. He also writes that it is "The best family film of the year" and "this is what a family film would look like if it were made with the intelligence of adults". Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce ("Hilary and Jackie") have crafted a story that is fantasy, parable, and morality play. Seven year old Damian and his nine year old brother, Anthony, find a bag of cash that bounces off a train and into their lives. The boy's mother has recently died, they have just moved to a new neighborhood, and this discovery is both a distraction from their grief and a opportunity to create new lives. Anthony wants to invest the money, purchase property and new electronic gadgets, and buy influence from his peers. Damian, who has visions of saints, including St. Francis of Assisi, experiences the windfall as a gift from God and an opportunity to help the poor. The choices the boys make and the consequences of those choices is depicted in honest and imaginative ways. As Ebert writes, this isn't a "cute little film" but one well worth your time. It raises some interesting questions. What influences the choices we make in life? Self-preservation, greed, faith, relationships, responsibility, opportunity, etc. ? Young Damien appears to be most influenced by the Biblical proverb that "to whom much is given, much is expected". See "Hollywood Jesus" for more information and reviews of the film.