Life of Pi

 Ang Lee's Life of Pi (2012), based on the novel by Yann Martel, is an extraordinary film of remarkable beauty.  He has taken a book that was considered unfilmable and brought it to vivid life, featuring astounding visuals and an incredible lead performance from first-time actor Suraj Sharma.

Although everybody knows that the story is about a boy and a tiger stranded on the ocean in a lifeboat, not many seem to know that Pi survives.  The movie gives this away immediately, showing Pi (played as an adult by Irrfan Khan) telling his story to a writer (Rafe Spall).  The writer has been prompted to hear Pi's story, a story he was promised "would make [him] believe in God."

The story begins in Pondicherry, India, where Pi is born and raised in a zoo owned by his parents.  His father gives him the name Piscine, after a famous French swimming pool.  In a successful attempt to rebuff the teasing he receives at school (played as a schoolboy by Ayush Tandon), he gives himself the moniker "Pi," after the mathematical constant.

Pi is raised as a Hindu but finds himself drawn to Christianity and Islam.  He sees the good in all, choosing to practice all three religions, to the frustration of his father.  This theme is introduced early in the film in a lighthearted way, only vaguely hinting at the depths the story will explore by the end.  Pi's father thinks that "believing in everything at once is the same as believing in nothing."  But Pi doesn't see things that way.  While most people focus on the differences among religions, he sees a myriad of possibilities through humankind's (unknowingly) unified search for answers from a higher power.  This is a boy who goes through life with an open heart, unafraid to ask difficult questions, and a faith that will eventually be tested to its limits.  In an era when people's views of politics and religion have become polarized, the character of Pi is a refreshing reminder that natural curiosity, combined with an open mind and heart, can manifest a life of fulfillment and gratitude.

One day Pi (played as a teenager by Suraj Sharma) and his family are informed by his father that they are moving to Canada.  The family, along with the animals from their zoo, find passage on a Japanese freighter and begin the journey to North America.  On the ship they encounter a surly French cook (Gerard Depardieu) and a kind Japanese sailor (Jag Huang).  (Notice how nonchalantly these characters are introduced.  We are not led to believe that they will feature much in the story, but we will remember them later.)

The freighter is caught in a tremendous storm and eventually sinks, still carrying Pi's parents and brother.  There is a heartbreaking shot of Pi floating in the water as he regards the sinking ship.  He finds a lifeboat that will eventually contain the only other survivors—animals from his father's zoo: an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a tiger named Richard Parker.  Soon their numbers are reduced to only the boy and the tiger.

Having a tiger named Richard Parker could fool you into believing that he will eventually speak and become some kind of animated character, but that is not the case here.  The CGI work in this film is next level, and Richard Parker is one of the most realistic CG creations in movie history.  He behaves like a real tiger, bringing all the danger, speed, and impressive strength such a thing implies.  To complicate it even further, the filmmakers have stated that there are around 23 shots of real tigers mixed in, which I dare you to find.  They've given enough care to Richard Parker to render him believable.  This is especially true in an early scene when Pi's father disabuses him of the notion that the tiger is anything other than a wild animal capable of killing without hesitation.

For a short while, as the boy and tiger learn to coexist in the lifeboat, the film almost settles into a rhythm as Pi uses a survival manual as a makeshift journal.  The film carries a unique tone, with a story of bravery and despair in the face of overwhelming odds set against a backdrop of breathtaking visuals.  There are harrowing elements to the story, but by the end we will not be wrung out and depressed; the final scenes are more thoughtful than we expect.

As with most movies, the experience of watching Life of Pi can't be properly captured by writing about it.  There's too much; thinking back over everything we've seen and heard is nearly mind-boggling.  But that's exactly what we will have to do to reach the ending of the story (if you can really call it an ending).  Throughout the story we visit towns in India, a French swimming pool, a zoo, a school, a dance class, various places of worship, a freighter, and a mysterious floating island filled with thousands of meerkats.  We see visual wonders that include whales, dolphins, sharks, flying fish, and visions in the stars and the depths of the ocean.

What resonates most, though, is Pi's faith and his belief in God.  Although he embraces multiple religions and numerous interpretations of gods and what Christians refer to as God with a capital "g," I think it's clear that Pi believes in a supreme being, whether that's one or many.  It's intriguing to note that some of Pi's narrated journal entries, and some of his verbal conversations, are directed to God.  And sometimes he directs his comments to Richard Parker, a being that he is convinced has a soul just like any person (this is one area where Pi disagrees with his father).  Pi's final comments to the writer about Richard Parker make me cry.  I think they highlight an important facet of his personality.  This is a man who has grown beyond the trauma of his past and been blessed with a real sense of peace.  He's one of the most open-minded, fascinating characters I've ever encountered.

(Major spoilers from here.)  Eventually, Pi and Richard Parker wash up on a Mexican beach.  Pi is brought to a hospital, where he is visited by a pair of Japanese insurance investigators who want to know why the ship sank.  His story strikes them as unbelievable.  They implore him to tell them a story “that won't make [them] look like fools"—they want "the truth."  Pi then tells a story that includes his mother, the cook, and the sailor, with only a few of the same details, but with more disturbing and depressing implications.  It's interesting to note that this story is not shown to us, we only hear it as told by Pi.  You could say it's a more "rational" tale.  And it clearly leaves the Japanese gentlemen uncomfortable.

Once Pi has finished telling this alternate version of his story, the writer picks out the similarities between the two tales and says, “It is a lot to take in, to figure out what it all means.”  Pi's response is wise: "If it happened, if happened.  Why should it have to mean anything?"

I think the following exchange is key:

ADULT PI: I’ve told you two stories about what happened out on the ocean.  Neither explains what caused the sinking of the ship, and no one can prove which story is true and which is not.  In both stories, the ship sinks, my family dies, and I suffer.

WRITER: True.

ADULT PI: So which do you prefer?

WRITER: The one with the tiger.  That's the better story.

ADULT PI: Thank you.  And so it goes with God.

That last line (“And so it goes with God”) seems to throw people off.  What does that mean?  As a viewer (or reader) we're confronted with the possibility that only one version is true.  I’ve been down a rabbit-hole reading endless online discussions that attempt to "explain” the ending of Life of Pi.  A few smart people seemed to have caught on that these online conversations mirror those between Pi and his father.

Even author Yann Martel has commented that the movie is less ambiguous than the book on this point.  Some viewers have argued that the movie, by showing only one version of the story, skews our perception of what is true and what is not.  Such a debate seems to contradict the purpose of the story.

I like these comments by blogger Edward Mullen: “...although the human story makes a lot of sense, it was not intended to be a twist ending.  The author leaves the question unanswered for the audience to draw their own conclusion, almost as if we are the Japanese men.  Whatever story you prefer is intended to gauge your belief in God.  Either you believe in things that can be explained rationally, or you allow room for such things as miracles and God.”

Here's another online comment: “The outcome is the same, it’s just how you choose to tell the story that’s the difference.  So it is with God.  People get so hung up on the literal interpretation of the Bible that they miss the point the Bible is trying to teach us.”

Could both stories be true?  Are they one and the same, first told as an allegory, then reduced to cold, hard reality?  I think it’s important to remember Pi’s approach to multiple religions.  This is a character who appreciates everything that brings him closer to God, regardless of the path (or belief system) that gets him there or the form in which God is presented.  There are stories in many religions that contain elements fantastic in nature that some so-called “enlightened” humans in the 21^st century now refer to as mythology.  Many religious teachings fall outside of rational explanation, much like Pi’s tale of survival.  Whether or not you find those stories/teachings to be “believable” is a test of your own faith.

In the final moments of the film, notice that the report written by the Japanese officials states that Pi survived 227 days at sea with a tiger.  It seems that they agreed with the writer about which is the better story.

There are many more interesting analyses to be found on the internet, all from different points of view, and all of them valid.  I don’t think there is one right answer.  What do I believe?  I believe that Life of Pi is a stunningly beautiful film with a story that’s structured more carefully than anticipated.  The more I watch it, the more I find to consider and think about.  Repeat viewings have only deepened my appreciation.  The real question is: what do you believe?