The Life of Pi: a movie of wonder

 

While floating aimlessly on a small boat in the middle of the Pacific, there are times, trust me, when you and any companions will reveal unpleasant aspects of character.  There are plenty of works of art portraying this well-worn phenomenon.  One of the most visually stunning and emotionally evocative of them is the 3D movie, The Life of Pi.  I strongly suggest seeing the movie and avoiding that particular real-life adventure.  The director, Ang Lee, has managed to compress the beauty and terror of a Pacific crossing (along with some fantasy extras) into a couple hours in his brilliant adaptation of the novel.  I rarely see a movie that equals the book it was based upon, but this one does.

The story sets up a tragic and dramatic situation: a storm at sea where almost everyone is lost.  The survivors are an Indian teenager and several other beings.  For most of the film the Indian boy struggles to survive in violent storms and lulling calm with several escaped zoo animals that had been on the ill-fated cargo ship with him.  As if escaping a sinking ship during a storm isn’t bad enough; how about sharing the lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a tiger?

There are real life wonders like flying fish and bio-luminescence and there are other things going on that may turn out to be fanciful.  There is a lot to ponder in this beautiful film.