Life of Pi (PG)

*****

When I read Yann Martel’s award-winning novel Life of Pi, I felt sure I held in my hands a book that would never be translated onto the screen such was the existential nature of the narrative. Indeed, when I first heard that Ang Lee was to helm a cinematic version of the text, I was filled with a deep cynicism and decided there and then that I would not see the film. It was not the award-hype surrounding the film that eventually caused me to watch the film, but rather a family outing. Upon leaving the cinema with a tear in my eye, I realised how wrong I had been to doubt the translation from text to film – ‘Life of Pi’ is truly a masterpiece.

The narrative is set across two time periods, with the always charismatic Irrfan Khan playing the older Pi, whilst disarmingly engaging newcomer Suraj Sharma takes on Pi as the teenager set adrift in the ocean with no company except a giant Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. The majority of the film is with this younger Pi who, alone and inexperienced, must learn to survive. It is a credit to both Lee and Sharma that the time spent building on the relationship of Richard Parker and Pi on the life boat does not become boring – it remains engaging, heartfelt and even spiritual with moments of humour as well as sorrow. In the present day, the older Pi relates his tale to a writer struggling to find inspiration, and this is the part of the film that sometimes feels forced, especially with a completely unnecessary exposition on the symbolism of the story. Fortunately, these more forced aspects do not dent the overall spectacle and genuine good heart of the film.

I am no fan of the 3D craze, but I felt that this format added to the overall spectacle. In the sweeping wide-shots of the apparently limitless ocean that Pi and Richard Parker find themselves adrift in, the 3D made you feel as though you were out in the expanse of water with them. When Pi found himself under the water, the 3D helped to suspend his figure in a kind of liminal space between reality and fiction as I reached out my hand to try and rescue him. The detail of Richard Parker is picked out with such precision that after only a short while you completely forget that the tiger on screen is not really there. The interaction between Pi and the tiger is completely believable and acts as another indication that Suraj Sharma is undoubtedly a rising star. Even in the ‘dream-sequence’ where Pi and Richard Parker stare ‘into the void’ of the ocean, the extra dimension really added to the overall spectacle. I am by no means a 3D-convert, but I felt that, in this case, it was the correct decision.

Finally, the ‘PG’ rating did surprise me as there are some quite difficult sequences involving other animals, and the sinking of the ship is quite harrowing to watch. Indeed, much of the story is one of faith and soul-searching, which younger viewers may find hard to understand.