LIFE OF PI
An excellent film, that fell just short of takign victory, my review below will hopefully explain to you just how good it is:
"Unfilmable".
Neologism though it may be, it’s a word which used to mean something, but with
Ang Lee’s latest masterpiece, Life of Pi, he has well and truly banished the
word to the past.
The "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" director is no
stranger to films of quiet, haunting beauty, but even so, his take on Yann
Martel's Booker prize-winning novel, Life of Pi, is an astonishing work of art,
and a magnificent film in its own right.
The film is
framed as a story within a story, which begins in French Pondichery, India, in
a family zoo. The unfortunately named Piscine Patel wisely begins going by the nickname
Pi, to avoid schoolyard bullying. When the Zoo runs into trouble, Pi must leave
his newfound lover, and travel with his family and their animals, by boat to
Canada. Disaster strikes when a storm hits, and Pi ends up the sole human survivor
of the tragedy. He is not alone however,
being marooned on a rescue boat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal
Tiger, all gloriously rendered in life-like CGI. The next 227 days are the true
heart of the film, as they follow Pi’s struggle to survive and make sense of
the tragedy, and his uneasy partnership with the tiger. While it may be
amusingly named Richard Parker, this is no cute and cuddly critter, and the wild
and savage nature of the beast is a strong theme that runs throughout.
To explain the
plot much further is really to miss the point. The beauty of Lee’s film, is the
way it uses such economy to tell a story that wonderfully ties together themes
of loneliness, survival and religion. While
it may sound like a very bleak tale, there is much humour to be found, and
ultimately the incredible journey of survival is enormously uplifting: a true testament
to the determination of the individual.
Throughout the
entire film, I was in a constant state of awe at the remarkable imagery, and
the sheer poetry of the visuals. There is something fantastical about young Pi’s
story and the film fully allows this dream-like element to blossom into
fruition. I’m not much of a believer in 3D, generally seeing it as little more
than a gimmick, but in Life of Pi, it is employed to flawless effect. Gone are
the cheap scenes of objects hurtling out of the screen – this 3D serves only to
enhance the beauty of the film, and the depth of the message it shares.
Finally, a review
would not be complete without referencing the entirely excellent cast, praise first
and foremost of which, must go to unknown Suraj Sharma. As the film progresses
his weight sheds whilst his skin darkens from the sun and crusts from dry
saltwater, but none of this is as shocking as the way his face hardens and his
mannerisms fatigue. The character’s transformation is achingly real, and is all
the more incredible when you realise, he was probably acting in an empty boat
in front of a green screen.
In framing the
tale, the character of mamaji tells the author, “I have a story that will make
you believe in God”. For what it’s worth, Ang Lee’s film just might live up to
that promise. A masterpiece
