A young Indian boy is left to survive in the ocean with nothing but another boat and another survivor; a ferocious adult Bengal tiger.
The director of Life of Pi is the Taiwan-born Ang Lee. He became very popular in the 1990s by making films about Far Eastern culture with filming styles of the West. Some of his films are ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, ‘Lust, Caution’ and ‘Ride with the Devil’ but his most famous film is ‘Brokeback Mountain’.
Lee’s interpretation of Yann Martel’s booker prize-winning novel, Life of Pi, is very similar to the story in the book. However, in the film, there is a story within a story within a story within a story. This is because as you are watching the film, an Indian man is telling an unnamed Canadian author (who might possibly be the character of Yann Martel) about a story about faith. The Indian man is Piscine Molitor Patel (who is acted as by Irrfan Khan) and he tells the Canadian author a peculiar story about his life. In the beginning, Pi was the son of a zookeeper in India to end of his survival story.
The main characters both got their names from comic coincidence. Piscine Patel was named after one of his uncle’s favourite swimming pools, the Piscine Molitor in the romantic city of Paris. However, Piscine changed his name to the Greek letter ‘π’ and the number because his schoolmates made jokes about ‘pissing’. Richard Parker got his name through a mistake on the paperwork from the delivery. Richard Parker was actually the name of the English hunter who found the Bengal tiger and named him Thirsty. Was this fate that both characters got their name for comic coincidence?
Pi has an interest in religion and life’s meaning as he grows up. The film shows Pi not listening to his father’s rational teachings by having 3 religions. Whether Pi chose to defy his father is a question we shall never be able to answer. Pi’s faith is tested when his father has to sell the zoo and Pi goes to meet Richard Parker. After that, Pi goes on a Japanese freighter which has all the zoo animals and Pi’s family aboard. But, the ship gets stuck in a storm and the ship begins to sink. After the sinking of the ship, Pi is an orphan on a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, a female orang-utan and Richard Parker.
Life of Pi is an adventure unlike any other. Unlike most movies, half the film is based on survival. Ang Lee and his staff really made this story incredible using up to date 3D technology. The days that Pi spent at sea tests his physical and mental abilities which makes Pi’s journey a truly special one. The scenes in the film are ‘out of this world’. It shows nature at its best and worst.
Overall, Life of Pi is a must-see movie. Its action packed, philosophical and different to your typical movies. Its a emotional survival story and it will make you think about what you would do in the same situation.
I would give The Life of Pi a 4 out of 5.
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