Life Of Pi

So here I sit at my local coffee shop trying to stay focused on writing. My house has too many awesome distractions....like more movies! This was a very eventful holiday week for me. Not only did I see family and friends but I went and saw 5 movies in 7 days....I'm that awesome. So here we go!

I have not read the book Life Of Pi, part of me feels like I should have. At the same time Director Ang Lee paints a better picture than my mind ever could. This film is like a lovely piece of art, moving motion pictures. The colors are vibrant and take your breath away. The cinematography is captivating, there are these huge empty spaces that make you feel so alone and small. The images Ang Lee filmed in India are full of the passion and grace that show what a rich culture India has. You can feel the breeze in your hair and the spices in the air. Not many directors can take you to a new place but Ang Lee does in Life of Pi.

The film is about a man named Pi. We meet Pi as a grown man, played by Irrfan Khan living as a Professor in Canada. One day an author comes to visit Pi. The writer, played by the amazing Rafe Spall, was just in India and met Pi's uncle. The uncle told the writer that Pi's story would make him believe in God and Magic. Pi tells his story for when he was a young man. The younger Pi is played by Suraj Sharma, an actor that is years ahead of his age.

We hear about life growing up in India. Pi's father ran a Zoo and a botanical garden. When Pi get's older his family must move to Canada and sell the zoo animals. Among the animals is a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. This tiger is dangerous and a predator, Pi has seen what this Tiger can do.

While on the boat the ship sinks and Pi ends up on a life raft alone with a zebra with a broken leg, an organutan, a hyena, and Richard Parker the Tiger. Ok there are going to be some spoilers....I'm warning you........
Right away animal instincts trump reason and the hyena kills the Zebra and the organutan. After Pi screams at the hyena Richard Parker jumps out of the boat and kills the hyena. Pi can no longer stay on the boat because Richard Parker will kill him. Pi makes a raft out of life jackets and floats behind the boat, every once and while going to the boat for supplies.

The rest of the movie is about survival and seeing what we are capable of. We see the bond between Richard Parker and Pi grow as they try to survive together.

The film is unlike anything I have ever seen. The special effects are so real that I could not tell what was real or CGI. I'm still not sure if Richard Parker was real or if they were ever really in the water. Ang Lee did an amazing thing and mixed the CGI in with real images to make the scene more powerful. The colors of the fish and the look of the sky are like pieces of art in a museum. If this director does not get nominated for an Oscar I will be shocked. I also think that this film should win for best special effects because they are stunning and ground breaking.

The acting in this film is the stuff of history. Rafe Spall as The Writer is a small but important character. He brings this childlike curiosity and desire for truth and God to the film. He wants to believe in magic and I honestly think, he wants to believe in God. Irrfan Khan brings so much heart, pain, and truth to the adult Pi. Suraj Sharma is an actor with a long career ahead of him. I won't spoil the ending but there is a scene at the end where we see all the pain, suffering, passion and loss that Pi has endured. The acting was so raw and it stays with you long after the movie is over. I still get goosebumps thinking about the pain in his eyes.

Over all if you are looking for a beautiful film to see, go see this movie.

Over All - A