LIFE OF PI
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Ang Lee
STARS Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan
It was Rod Serling, at the start of each episode of The Twilight Zone, who promised to whisk viewers to “a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land of imagination.” Yet here’s Ang Lee stealthily co-opting that claim for Life of Pi, his rapturous adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel.
Martel’s 2001 book has long been one of those works coveted by filmmakers yet deemed unfilmable in many circles. But Hollywood, perhaps surprisingly, has a good history with turning unfilmable novels into sterling movies (Slaughterhouse Five, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient and, most recently, the underrated Cloud Atlas), and Life of Pi can be added to the winners’ circle. Working from David Magee’s screenplay, Lee, the Oscar-winning director of Brokeback Mountain, has crafted a visually sumptuous (in 3-D, no less!) fable about Pi Patel (newcomer Suraj Sharma, nailing it), an Indian teen who survives a disaster at sea, only to then find himself sharing a small boat with a fierce Bengal tiger.
A framing device in which an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) recounts his story to a writer (Rafe Spall) isn’t really needed, but it also isn’t obtrusive, and it’s always desirable to see the accomplished Khan on the screen. Magee’s script is steeped in spiritualism (early sequences illustrate how Pi amusingly considers himself a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian), an approach that is further conveyed by the heavenly images captured by cinematographer Claudio Miranda and an effects crew that employs CGI to astounding effect.
The movie won’t appeal to everyone: Its themes will seem facile to many, and the ambiguity following a climactic twist might strike some as a cop-out (though it’s also in the book). Yet even its detractors will be hard-pressed to opine that Life of Pi is strictly by-the-numbers.
This article appears in Nov 21-27, 2012.
In 2012 we have been previledged to be able to see two truly amazing high-concepts films: Cloud Atlas and Life of Pi. Both films deliver astounding images and concept that touch our humanity. Pi’s journey is an incredible visual experience that will not be forgotten. His experience, and truly it is sad that this is not a true story, reaches depths rarely seen in Hollywood anymore.
You are right, the acting, especially for a new comer, was Oscar level, and that’s just the Tiger! But Suraj Sharma acting was perfect. The entire movie was not only believable, and a spiritual experience. Even the floating island was made real and believable (FYI there are floating islands in the Atlantic made of Sargasso weed – some in history have reported islands just like this). You should not minimize the supporting actors either, Pi’s mother and father were excellent as well.
While this was a slow paced movie, I never felt it was ever boring, it simply took the time to tell this amazing story as few stories are told these days. Because of it Director Lee has been added to my list of true top directors as a result of it.
I do hope the Pi is a financial success, since Hollywood needs to spend more time telling good stories, and less time find roles for Ben Afleck.
This was a 5 star movie, and one that really should be the Best Picture choice for the Oscars. Of course, it will never be, because Hollywood is about business and not art. But just as we chose to believe in Pi’s tiger (instead of the other story told at the end), we can chose to believe that Hollywood (at least some) care about real stories and astounding art. Let’s hope that at least Ang Lee gets the Oscar as best director.