Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, had long been considered unfilmable until Oscar-winning director, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), did the impossible. He (with an adaptation by screenwriter David Magee) has made a visually stunning adventure about ultimate survival and the meaning of existence in the universe. It is a unique film experience and one that requires openness and a certain suspension of disbelief.
Pi is an impressionable young boy whose exposure to religion develops into an embracing of more than one faith much to the consternation of his father. The family owns a zoo in the French part of India and one day are forced to uproot their lives and head to Canada by cargo ship. During a powerful storm, the ship sinks and all hands are lost except Pi, orphaned and stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no help and a lifeboat filled with an unlikely manifest: wild animals including a tiger, oddly named Richard Parker. An unusual dynamic plays out as Pi struggles to stay alive in the elements and contend with the ferocious beast. As the hours turn into days and then weeks, Pi, left with only his instincts and ingenuity, is forced to improvise and utilize all his survival skills amid dwindling supplies. When hope begins to fade for rescue, some unlikely, awe inspiring events occur that mean the difference between life and death.
Lee, no stranger to computer generated effects (Hulk, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), has done a major accomplishment here by adapting the challenging logistics of the source material and making it accessible and compelling to an audience. He is no doubt aided by incredible advancements in special visual effects that form a significant portion of the film and recreate unforgettable moments including the fatal storm and the sinking cargo ship, the wondrous, luminescent phenomenon at night, and the depiction of animals in the lifeboat especially the tiger, Richard Parker, who becomes a major character. Some of the imagery is remarkable in 3-D.
Suraj Sharma is quite convincing as the young Pi; it’s a one man show for a majority of the film. The story, told in a flashback, is about Pi’s ascension to manhood, and he is in essence is a citizen of the world, not having been bound to any one religion. His curiosity and spiritual journey serve to make this an allegorical tale, and it is his relationship with Richard Parker that serves as a foundation to the story. He wonders about his deadly companion and ponders the question, “Do animals have souls?” In essence, Parker is Pi’s Wilson (from Castaway) but with a soul. Pi’s interaction with the ocean is not unlike the solitary figures in The Old Man and the Sea and 127 Hours, in which mother nature can be lovely and deadly, giving and taking, a sort of protagonist and antagonist.
There are unanswered questions. What really becomes of Richard Parker? And are we to believe this fantastic tale as fact or fiction or a warped truth? Is there a more plausible explanation? Maybe that’s just the point of the story: that life is full of questions and wonder, and sometimes truth is stranger than fiction no matter how unlikely it may appear. Audiences who are willing to completely open their hearts and minds, will find a rewarding experience in this tragic yet fascinating exploration into the miracle of life. And the movie does look hauntingly beautiful.
***1/2* of **** stars
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