The White Tiger

Movie: The White Tiger
Nominated for: Adapted Screenplay
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: Not this time
When it had me: Unique Story
When it lost me: I don't think it did.
What I have to say:

This one took three sittings to complete, but I got there. I had never heard of this film and was completely surprised by it (I know, I've been surprised by a lot this year. Haven't we all?)

The White Tiger looks through the lens of a servant in India and how he transmutes himself into a businessman. The change is part strategy, part spiritual, part philosophical. It was an elaborate journey that I took alongside the main character. 

He begins kind and sweet, but terribly used, abused and denigrated by the system in which he lives. He ends brutal, cynical and questionable but in charge of his own life. The choice is bleak. Would I rather see someone who is naive and only open to the wonder of the world...or someone who is willing to be cutthroat in service to their own advancement? Which would I rather be? 

I learned a lot about the brutality of India's caste system and the corruption of the democracy that is supposed to empower those at the bottom.

When the character breaks the fourth wall to look at me directly, I am uncomfortable. I can feel him asking me how much control I have over my life. I can feel him urging me to wake up fully and make an informed choice. I feel like I'm under a microscope. I'm squirming.

That's a powerful response to a film and I'm kind of digging the aftermath of thinking about it. This one is going to stick with me. Someone else should go watch this so we can discuss.