Lost at Sea

Earlier this year a film came out that fascinated me right from the opening shots.  It was an epic adventure, at once mystical, intense, and thought-provoking, and it was one of the most stunningly beautiful films I had ever experienced.  Tonight I watched it again and I’m so glad to say that “Life of Pi” still fascinates.

"Life of Pi” begins when a novelist arrives at the home of the adult Piscene (Pi) Patel; he’s been sent there by an acquaintance to hear the tale of how, when he was a boy, Pi survived for 227 days alone in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (more on him in a bit).  Through a series of flashbacks we follow Pi from his childhood in India where he yearned to find spiritual enlightenment, to the shipwreck that leaves him an orphan stranded at sea, and finally to his eventual rescue and later years living in Canada.

The three leads (Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi, Suraj Sharma as the young Pi, and Rafe Spall as the writer) are well-cast, especially newcomer Sharma (in his first film role), but I have to be honest…the real stars of the movie are director Ang Lee and the effects wizards who have created some of the most gorgeous visual effects ever put on film.

Amazingly detailed action sequences (an all too real ship sinking, a wild thunderstorm at sea, even a flying fish attack!) are interspersed with truly beautiful images of nature that simply have to be seen to be appreciated: a night sequence featuring Pi's boat floating amidst a sea of glowing, bioluminescent plankton as a whale rises from the depths to feed; an island populated by millions of chattering meerkats racing through grassy fields.  In these quieter moments Lee lets the camera linger, allowing us to soak in the wonder before us and experience the awe that Pi must have felt.

But of all of the visual fireworks and technical wonders presented on the screen, none are more exquisitely rendered than Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger who shares Pi’s adventures.  I’ve read that a real tiger was used in a couple of scenes…but please don’t ask me to point them out, because Richard Parker is such a complete work of digital art that it’s impossible to tell where the real tiger ends and the CG tiger begins.  The film won an Academy Award for its visual effects…the Bengal alone is worth that Oscar.

“Life of Pi” takes a while to get going and some may feel that the going is too slow.  My suggestion; take the journey to its unexpected and emotional end.  There you’ll find a fable that may make you question all you believe about faith, hope, and our perception of truth.