Life of Pi - Poetry in Motion

Eight weeks ago I was due to see Ang Lee's Life of Pi, adapted from Yann Martel's Booker Prize winning novel. However, before that joyous day arrived I fell foul of some kitchen roll and broke my hip! Yes dear reader! A 23 year old man in his prime struck down by a rogue piece of kitchen ware! Thus my journey to see this much anticipated film was delayed, cutting a deeper wound than the surgeon's scalpel which I was to be privy to the following day! Alas, fear not! Well on the road to recovery, Thursday saw me hobble into the cinema at last. Was the wait worth it, I hear you ask? It most certainly was.
Very much like the glorious collaboration of the Wachowski's and Tykwer with their film Cloud Atlas (reviewed in an earlier post), Life of Pi is also a novel deemed by many to be impossible to translate to the silver screen. Yet what Ang Lee delivers is a thoroughly faithful adaption, brimming with the novel's sublime poeticism, beauty and metaphysical meditation that, like its literary counterpart, makes the film thoroughly wondrous.

The story, as the title would suggest, deals of the life of Piscine Molitor Patel, self-christened Pi, and how he survives an horrific shipwreck, subsequently finding himself stranded adrift in the Pacific sharing his lifeboat with an injured zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker!
We are initially introduced to Pi as an adult, successfully living in Montreal, relating his story to an unnamed author seeking inspiration for his next book. As in the book this usage of retrospect in relaying the narrative aids in creating the fairy tale nature so inherent to the story. Pi, as we become aware early on in the film is extremely inquisitive about faith and the nature of existence, collecting religions as one would collect stamps. This search for God, whether it be a Hindu God, a Christian God, or a Muslim God fills the film with a sense of the divine  and becomes intrinsic to his survival aboard his lifeboat. Ang Lee expresses this beautifully, through cinematography, music, a wonderfully adapted script and breath-taking special effects.
These special effects are integral to the success of the film and are for some why the film would initially seem impossible to translate from the page. After all, how is it possible to film a story which requires an actor for the majority of the film to interact with a tiger? The answer lies in the wonderful, now Oscar winning special effects created for the film. Much like the pioneering work with creations such as Gollum for The Lord of the Rings, Kong in King Kong, and Ceasar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Richard Parker, the aforementioned Bengal tiger is a triumph of technical wizardry. Aside from a brief few minutes when an actual tiger is used in the water, Richard Parker is an entirely CGI creation. What this gives us is something frighteningly real and one does not believe for a minute that we are seeing anything other than a real tiger before our eyes.

As to performances, three have to be praised. Firstly, Suraj Sharma, a newcomer, gives a phenomenal and emotionally charged portrayal as the teenage Pi. This would be a feat for any actor, never mind a newcomer. From the moment he finds himself on the lifeboat, Pi, with the exception of the occasional flash forward to the older Pi relating the tale, dominates the screen, being present in every scene. For a first time actor to give us such a spectrum of emotions with conviction and power is to be commended and I expect to be seeing much more of Sharma in times to come. Secondly, the adult Pi relaying the tale is portrayed by Irrfan Khan, known for his roles in Slumdog Millionaire, The Amazing Spider-man, and The Darjeeling Limited. Khan gives us a truly emotional performance and plays the role of story-teller to perfection. His way of conveying his relationship with the tiger is extremely moving. Thirdly, it must be reiterated how important the character of Richard Parker is to this film. After all, the film is ultimately about the bond created between Pi and this unlikely companion. The way in which every nuance of the tiger is expressed through immense attention to detail plays a big part in the success of this film.
Well, eight weeks went by of me wanting to throw caution and broken hip to the wind and see Life of Pi whatever the cost. However, patience and the threat of a doctor's sedative assuaged me, leaving it all the more special when I emerged from the cinema on Thursday feeling inspired, and dare I say serene. Ang Lee has given us a true masterpiece with Life of Pi, through its stunning cinematography, moving score, script, performances, effects, and I am certain that this film will be with me for a very long time yet.