Life of Pi

Director: Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain)
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu
Certificate: PG
Run-time: 127 minutes

IN SHORT: Life of Pi is a gorgeous movie, a real feast for the eyes. The story is just as rich, taking you through a roller coaster range of emotions.

Ang Lee is a fascinating director, he never makes the same film twice. He's made superhero movies, costume dramas and martial arts films. He even explored forbidden love between two cowboys! One constant throughout his career, no matter what subject matter he's tackling, is his supreme eye for stunning visuals. Whether that's making his actors fly in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or re-creating the feel of a comic with his split-screen editing in Hulk, Lee always strives to create movie magic. Life Of Pi is his most ambitious (and expensive) work to date, and in my opinion, it's his masterpiece.

Pi is a conscientious young Indian boy. The son of a botanist and zoo-keeper, he's raised around nature and grows to respect animals on a spiritual level. Religion is another big part of Pi's life, as he enthusiastically study's the Bible, the Qur'an and other holy books, much to the amusement of his atheist father. Pi's mantra is; with so many Gods in this world, why give yourself to just one? After a dispute with the local government, Pi's father informs the family that they are closing down the zoo and emigrating to Canada. Only a few days into their journey, the Japanese ship capsizes in a storm, leaving Pi and a few wild animals as the only survivors on a wooden life-boat.

Pi uses ingenuity to survive the shipwreck.

The film is narrated by a present-day, middle-aged Pi (Irrfan Khan), who is recounting his incredible story to a writer played by Rafe Spall. The present-day Pi doesn't start his story at the time of the shipwreck, he talks a lot about growing up, finding religion, finding love and his life in India. We are shown how he gets his unique name - he is named after the french word for swimming pool, as his Uncle was a great swimmer, a skill that was luckily handed down to Pi. His obsession with religion and faith also proves to be important during his 227 days out at sea. Ang Lee spends a great deal of time shaping Pi as a character which in turn makes the audience more emotionally invested in his harrowing ordeal. 

Like Cast Away, Life Of Pi works as a dramatic survival movie but Lee's film isn't about death, it's about life and faith. Religious symbolism and iconography are weaved throughout - an island that Pi stumbles across is shaped like the Hindu God Vishnu and the rescue boat that Pi survives on is called 'tsim tsum' which is a Hebrew word for creation. Lee's film proves to be more than just a story about a boy's survival, it's about his faith and belief in God, which is continuously tested. Life Of Pi isn't heavy-handed with this message though, in fact a lot of these devices are subtle and I'm sure there's more I haven't spotted.

You can put all of the religious allegories to one side and still enjoy Life Of Pi as at its most basic the film is about believing in yourself, not losing hope and finding inner strength. The film features some staggering scenes, some beautiful, others disturbing. However, Pi's first few days on the lifeboat are the ones that stick in my mind the most. Pi climbs up onto the boat with the only survivors being a Bengal tiger, an orangutan, a hyena and a zebra with a broken leg. Once the shock of the shipwreck subsides, the animal's instincts kick in and they all start fighting for survival. Only Pi and the tiger survive, they remain the only ones on the boat for the next 226 days.

Pi must train the tiger, named Richard Parker, if he is to survive.

Lee's visuals are constantly breath-taking; from seeing a giant whale jump over the boat, to the actual shipwreck itself watched by Pi as he's drowning underwater. The whole film is a sumptuous cinematic treat.  And much has been made about the abundance of CGI but it never bothered me. In fact it is the best CGI I've seen in a while, the movements of the animals all looked very realistic to me. All of this wouldn't be possible without an award-worthy performance by Suraj Sharma as Pi. He spends the duration of the movie interacting with animatronics, yet he's always convincing. No amount of CGI can replace an earnest and endearing performance.

There's so much more I'd like to say about Life Of Pi but I fear this would turn into an essay. What sums this film up for me is the experience of the little girl and father sat next to me in the cinema. The girl kept asking her father questions, she was left mesmerised by the luminous jelly-fish and the 20 ft tall whales that Pi encounters. Her poor father was trying to get her to be quiet but her questions amused me. Her wide-eyed expression encapsulates why I go to the cinema, to gain new experiences, to be entertained and thrilled. Life Of Pi did all of this and more.