Taking Suspension of Disbelief to a New Level

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2012)

On its face, this is a ripping yarn about survival at sea, based on a novel by Canadian Yann Martel. The book version is astonishing, and the film version is literally jaw-dropping both because of its visual effects and because of its faithfulness to the source material.
The novel blurs the line between "fact" and fiction, beginning with the author's note describing his pursuit of a good story, a pursuit that lands him in Pondicherry, India. There he hears of a tale that, he is told, is God-affirming. The protagonist and narrator of the story, a native Pondicherrian by the name of Piscine Molitor Patel, now lives in Martel's homeland. Martel returns to find him in Toronto. This is where the film begins, and pretty much continues in lockstep with the book.
The story supposedly told to Martel by Pi Patel unfolds intriguingly from his childhood in India to his voyage at sea with his family, through tragedy and finally, to salvation. The story is infused with humor, horror, beauty, and seamanship, all aided by stunningly vivid images. At the end, the viewer and the author face a choice that may affirm theism in some, and yet allow nonbelievers to reject it.
What is hard to reject is the unutterable beauty and flash of the story, and the skillful way director Ang Lee has captured it on film. Convincing performances by Suraj Sharma as the teenage Pi and Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi are stellar. No less convincing is the rendition of leading feline Richard Parker, a creation that may make you wonder where digital technology is leading us.
Most movies, and fiction in general, require suspension of disbelief. In that sense, "Life of Pi" can be a challenge. That said, this film breaks new ground as terrific entertainment.