Life of Pi

Survivor of a disastrous shipwreck at sea, Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), the son of a Zookeeper, is lost and left to survive aboard a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Drifting further into the abyss he quickly learns of the other survivor on board his lifeboat, a vicious Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker. Tested to the extreme of what his body will tolerate, pushed to mental limits, forced to contemplate the meaning of his own existence in the universe and ultimately find god, Pi’s journey is one of biblical proportions. Now, years later re-telling his story, where does this all leave him, and what has he learned?Directed by the gentle and poetic Ang Lee the film is a cinematic work nothing short of amazing. From compelling 3D cinematography that pulls you deeper into the cosmos feeling of the narrative, to quite possibly the most realistic CGI animal we have cast eyes upon, what starts out so simple in premise quickly becomes a mind bending trip. Furthermore, Lee’s continued examination of philosophy, love, and religion remains a deep well full of interesting flavours and intricacies. Unfortunately one sour note does repeatedly stand out– interaction between an adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) and a writer (Rafe Spall) listening to Pi’s story rings hollow. For all the greatness put forward visually, the interstitial dialogue just falls flat in comparison. None the less, it’s the fable quality of the film that sells the drama that much sweeter. Worth your attention. Life of Pi is rated PG.