- Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith - but Ang Lee hesitates"Life of Pi" tells an unbelievable story that you will want to believe. Ang Lee's artistic parabel about spirituality, life and truth offers moments of heavenly delight and visual wonders but occasionally reveals too much of itself and doesn't allow itself to fully drown in its magic. There was no final enlightment in "Life of Pi" for me but much of it is genuinly fascinating.
For Pi it was a life changing experience. He is lost in the middle of nowhere. A drifter on the pacific who lost his family on a sinking ship. Now he's stuck on a life boat as the only survivor of the tragic event. But he is not alone. Accompanied by a tiger he has to fight hunger, grief and despair. He is looking into the abyss and finds something intangible. Eventually he puts his fate into the hands of god.
His struggle to survive is a spiritual journey of self-discovery. So fantastic is it that years later Pi's story still evokes the curiosity of other people. A young writer is interviewing old Pi to write down his story and to find out what happened to the man himself. However, the story Pi has to tell does not begin with a sinking ship but starts way earlier in his childhood. The first act of the film is a little mellow. It shows Pi growing up, confused of what to believe and torn between different world views and multiple religions. The latter is not playing for laughs but is there to point out that the deeply religious film doesn't take a side and is open for anyone to embrace it.
Pi's family, particularly his father, a zookeeper, try to guide him and help him choose his path. Then one day the family decides to move to Canada along with all their animals.
The most exciting part of the film is of course when Pi is face to face with the tiger. There are unforgetable scenes in "Life of Pi" that arouse feelings of total freedom. Cut off from the world, detached from your mind and from yourself. It's entering a dream-like state when Pi's spirit is able to escape his misery and leave the boat to a place beyond words and reality. In the majestical presence of the king of the jungle the film unleashes all its power. There are scenes you've never seen before and images that seem to capture infinity.
In its greatest moments the film's thoughtfulness and beauty reminded me of the films by Terrance Malick, most recently "The Tree of Life". "Life of Pi" is more accessable but probably not quite as accomplished. In its core it is clearly a movie that should have been made for an arthouse theater but is ultimately playing at every multiplex - at least in my country. To be honest about it you have to realize that the film has clearly been watered down to reach a wider audience, which is its biggest flaw. Firstly this is evident as the movie constantly tries to lighten up the otherwise earnest, calm and thoughtful subject matter. A few times I thought it was told a little too humorous and cheerful. On a side note I could mention that the name of the tiger kind of bothered me, too. It is "Richard Parker" and it is always spelled out completely instead of just calling him Richard for once.
Much more important is though that the film is a parabel. It should tell its story, it should give us the context to base the interpretations of its metaphors on. It does. But it should have also left us with open minds and not point too heavily on what it wants to say. But it kind of does. Uncertainty is an essential part of the films story. Pi's tale is at times bewildering but it's meant to be. There is no final answer. It is about letting go. Is it the truth? What does truth even mean? The important thing is what you want to believe and accept as being true.
In the end it is director Ang Lee who is not able to let go. He is revealing a little too much of his fable. The film is afraid to break loose and completely enter transcendental spheres always keeping one foot in more grounded realms. A more uncertain and even more abstract ending would have been more elegant and advantageous for the story. But it seems like Ang Lee, whose previous achievements include works like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", was not quite believing in his own vision. He seems to be in doubt, he seems to be too concerned about his audience. And he makes sacrifices to not lose anyone on the journey.
Some of it is literally explained on screen which is sad as most of that would not have been too hard to figure out anyway. Consequently the lazy moviegoer will probably not think too long about the life of Pi. It's not like there is nothing left for those who want to start their own search though. But as the one in doubt will likely have a harder time find to god, "Life of Pi" doesn't quite find its way to greatness. But some Oscars may already be waiting at the end of the tunnel anyway.
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