The Life Of Pi

Last night I finally got the chance to see The Life of Pi in theatres, and let me just start out by saying that it was visually spectacular. Director Ang Lee has done a marvelous job of bringing together a creative team who have been able to work cinematic wonders with this fantastic tale. This film is not your typical Hollywood spectacle, it focuses on the trials and tribulations of a young Indian man lost at sea after the cargo ship he is traveling on sinks in the Pacific ocean. The largest challenge he faces, sharing his life boat with an adult Bengal tiger. Based on the book of the same name written by Yann Martel, The Life of Pi, is a very spiritual reflection on the effect of adversity and isolation on the human psyche. While it has been a number of years since I read the book, I feel that this cinematic portrayal comes close to doing it justice. As a stand alone experience Pi really is quite remarkable, if mainly for its visual aspects. The hardships that young Pi must endure throughout his unexpected exile are often breathtaking to behold, as are the few moments of serenity that he is able to find during his trials. But the true highlight of the film is his adversary, Richard Parker, the tiger. The entire film can really be summed up as an exploration of the relationship of man vs beast under conditions of extreme adversity. Of course, those of you who have read the book also realize that there are strong undercurrents of a a second theme, that of man vs himself, also under extreme conditions. While likely not for everyone, I found myself quite fond of the retelling, and while I was engaged in the narration of the story, there was a significant part of me that kept wondering how they planned on dealing with the epilogue of the novel, that unexpected twist that makes a reader question and re-evaluate everything that they have experienced up to that point. By keeping the epilogue in tact as strictly narrative, the film makers make the conscious choice to leave the viewer with only the image of Richard Parker disappearing into the dense tropical foliage, rather than portray any of the events of Pi's 2nd version of the events, Ang Lee preserves the cinematic integrity of the film. My recommendation: Read the book. Decide which story you prefer, then see the film as a homage to a wonderful piece of creative writing.