Millions

Millions is a 2005 film written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Danny Boyle. Danny Boyle was, up until that point, known for Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and to a lesser extent, Shallow Grave.

So it's something of an understatement to say that Millions was a noticeable diversion in his career, as it's (ostensibly) a Kid's movie with strong Religious themes. The story concerns a young boy, Damian, who recently lost his mother. He daydreams about the Saints in a cardboard castle. When a train robbery results in a falling bag of cash landing near him, he and his older brother, Anthony, have to decide what to do with it. Anthony wants to spend it on luxuries for himself. Damian wants to use it to help the poor. As the plot moves forward, Anthony and Damian's widowed father and the train robber looking for his missing loot get involved.

Frank Cottrell Boyce adapted the screenplay into a Carnegie Medal-winning book which was released six months before the film.

The film, despite a young cast and a bright aesthetic, deals with some fairly heavy issues; greed, religion, grief, altruism, morality and the cynicism of adulthood.

• An Aesop: A pretty specific one, too. The charity featured in the film is a real one that the film actively promoted by donating money to rather than giving the crew t-shirts and the like.
• Children Are Innocent: Explored.
  • Truth in Television, in the case of the production: On the DVD Commentary, Boyle recalls having difficulty with the young leads because they hadn't experienced anything as devastating as the loss of a parent to draw on for their performances.
• Christianity Is Catholic: An unusual example, as Damian is the only explicitly religious character, but doesn't go to church. His interest in the saints, however, suggests that he's probably had a Catholic upbringing.