LIFE OF PI

"You don't know the strength of your faith until it's been tested."

Directed by: Ang Lee

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Gita Patel

Run time: 127 min

As a person who have read the book, I didn't expect much since book and cinema are two different medium. However I put my trust on Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, who take risk casting a newbie (and not even an American or British) as the main actor. It is good since the fame of the actor doesn't distract us from the story. With Suraj Sharma as Pi, we see Pi on the screen, not some famous actor trying to act like Pi.

It is a tough sell for American audience, since meeting art and commercialism is a hard thing to do. Proven by lukewarm box office revenue, Life of Pi cannot manage to stay at number one at the chart on its first week of release since the vampires of Twilight saga still rule the movies.

By this one Ang Lee proves that he is a good story teller. He can tackle drama, martial art films, gay drama, superhero movies and this one, an adaptation of the so called 'unfilmable' novel by Yann Martel. I have read the novel and I can say that the novel is damn good. It is not cheesy or overly pretentious but very beautiful.

The story is about a young man, Pi (Suraj Sharma), who found himself stranded on a life boat in the Pacific after the ship he board in with his family from India to Canada, sunk.

Raised in Pondicherry, India, Pi always wonder about faith, God and religion. His family manages a zoo in Pondicherry and animals are part of his life. They have to move to India since managing zoo is quite difficult financially for them.  Now, stranded on a lifeboat with Richard Parker, an adult Bengal tiger, he must do a journey of a lifetime. 227 days he spent on the boat, surviving and pondering about life and the heart of the film is how Pi, manages to survive the terrible ordeal. This is the story about the power of faith and the strength of a man, a story that could easily fall into a cheesy one if made by mediocre director. But in Ang Lee's hand, it has soul and visual splendor that will make your jaw drop and your mind start to think.

In terms of visual achievement, the film is very impressive. Even if you hate 3D you should try 3D with this one. Major kudos to cinematographer Claudio Miranda who can give the viewers beautiful scenery of loneliness. The raging and violent seas, the all CGI Richard Parker, glowing algae in the sea, it is all presented in a beautiful way.

Ang Lee used 3D not as gimmick to grab cash, but to tell his story more deep and involving the viewers. Even for some scenes the aspect ratio changes so it can give the audience new experience like the flying fish scene where some fish could be seen 'jump' outside the frame. The Adult version of Pi, acted by Irrfan Khan is also another plus, his acting skill is quite extraordinary and narrates the whole story.

Whatever you believed in, this one didn't become an overly preachy movie which push its ideas on your mind but an open end journey where you can chose which one to believe.  Life of Pi is one of the rare movie that will make you ponder about the power of faith that can make man survive even the most tragic thing that could happen to him, whether you are a believer or not.