Every shot in Life of Pi is breathtaking in its intensity. Each reminds me of the photos they print on atmospheric greetings cards: the piercing blue of a sea-born lightning bolt, the tropical greens and oranges of Indian village life. And most miraculously, it allowed me to re-embody the experience of India. I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks in that beautiful country in my teens, and its splendor is like nothing I have ever witnessed. Nature has such unbelievable vibrancy, in its colours, in its energy, in its ability to change emotions.
Deserving every award it can scoop, Ang Lee's mind-blowing new adventure centers on the life of a young Indian boy, whose parents own a zoo, and advise him toward logic when he explores religion with a whole new take on polytheism. Living in the French part of India, the boy is named Piscine, the French word for swimming pool, but of course this gives him a few problems once he starts school, in the same way that 'fatigé' can be misheard as 'fatty gay!' Hence, the young sprite explains his new-found nickname Pi to each class, whilst becoming a school legend for reciting his namesake to several hundred places.
When hard times hit, the parents uproot Pi and his brother Ravi to Canada with all their animals, whom they plan to sell overseas. On the torturous voyage across the Pacific Ocean, Pi awakes to a storm one night, and dances and hollers in the sheets of rain, embracing its power, "tempting" it, Ravi says. But its power overthrows them all, and Pi finds himself the only survivor of the wrecked ship on a lifeboat. Well, not the only survivor. He is accompanied by a zebra, a hyena, an orang-utan and a tiger. Suddenly thrust into the enclosure his father desperately tried to keep him from exploring, Pi soon finds himself alone with the tiger, named Richard Parker (but always addressed by his full name), drifting through the ocean, struggling to survive or find a reason to.
The aforementioned religion of our young hero is central. He practices, as best you really can, Catholicism, Hinduism and Islam. "We get to feel guilty in front of millions of Gods." And he does feel guilty, for the loss of his family, for surviving them, eventually for killing fish for survival. His faith and questioning in God remain afloat, and after building several ingenious rafts to keep a safe distance, Pi trains Richard Parker and cares for him. Every fish he catches they share, half the rainwater goes into a bucket for the tiger, and when they fear they are dying, they comfort each other. The young man's care for his only companion is what keeps him alive. And it's quite a companionship.
It's amazing that the majority of the movie has only one speaking character, and what a touching relationship Lee builds in relative silence. Richard Parker, so incredibly lifelike, has definite personality, and although his presence is often menacing, we feel at peace looking into his eyes. The eyes, Pi always claims, in which he could see the soul. That animals were not just beasts. It is through this determined belief that Pi finds a best friend in Richard Parker, and cares for him like nothing before.
I am thrilled to proclaim that Life of Pi is the first movie really worth seeing in 3D. Absolutely everything was 3D, and used to absolute perfection throughout. In the opening shots, the camera sits on the glassy surface of a water pool filled with flamingos, and slowly sinks. But what is curious is that no matter how far down we go, we never go below the waterline. This pool is infinite, it seems.
The most thrilling visuals come in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night. The blackness is illuminated by the life below, forests of jellyfish glowing sky blue, spiraling sparkles merging into star-studded skies and shimmering planets. One night Pi watches in awe as a massive whale swims underneath him, and jumps alongside. Of course, this huge impact means all of his supplies are washed away, but even Pi doesn't seem too bothered: the reason was wondrous.
Suraj Sharma plays teenage Pi, and has an undeniable charm in all he does, whether in excitement or frustration. His speaking voice is beautiful, his presence is endearing, and he makes us really feel, not only for him, but for his dear friend, Richard Parker. I do hope this debut leads to great things for the young actor, he carries the film's emotion, alongside his older self, played by Irrfan Khan.
Here's to winning every one of those nominations, and frequent replays on the big screen, in all its glory. I doubt this movie will be done justice on your home TV, so if you haven't yet, get out to the cinema and see Life of Pi before it's too late!
No comments:
Post a Comment