Millions
Director Danny Boyle is known for his highly conceptual adult films (not pornography, but films like Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, The Beach and 28 Days Later). He took a huge leap upward with Millions, and I don’t think any of his fans will be disappointed.
Millions is a story about a little boy named Damian (played by the irresistible Alex Etel) who has a unique interest in the lives of the saints. It sets him aside as a little odd and his brother Anthony (Lewis Owen) tells him to give it a rest if he wants to be accepted at their new school. When a large duffle-bag full of money is thrown from a train and lands on Damian’s cardboard box fort, Damian mistakes it as coming from the sky, directly from God, and he must decide what to do with it. With help from his saints, who come to him in hallucinations, Damian concocts many ways to use the money for good — namely helping the poor. But once his brother finds out and later his father and his new girlfriend, things go from ‘good’ to senseless. The pressing issue here is that the pound is about to change over to euros in a matter of days so the family have very little time to spend the money.
This is the kind of movie you want to see at Christmas with your family. It makes you feel really good and Etel’s adorable and good-hearted Damian has a lot to do with it. Though the content differs intensely from Boyle’s previous endeavours, his trademark cinematography and editing still impress. So while this is a feel-good experience, it is also a journey of artistic vision. Good combination for the masses.
Heather Taylor Johnson
