Finding One's Path, According to Life of Pi

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2013)

The Life of Pi is perhaps the most meaningful movie ever made. It follows the quest of Pi, an Indian religious zealot who is unsure of which religion he is zealous about. His quest, as displayed in the movie's cover, appears to be his survival on a boat with a tiger, but is actually a quest to find truth. And ultimately, the story is our quest too.
The first part of the movie depicts Pi's childhood search for religion. Dabbling in Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, he receives a small degree of flak from his family, especially his father, who believes that reason — not religion — should be one's starting point. His mother taught him the ways of Hinduism, and somewhat disagreed with her husband, saying: "Science can teach us things out there, but not in the heart."
The second part of the movie follows Pi's survival on the lifeboat. His family has to leave the country and take up residence in Canada. Since they are zookeepers, they bring their animals on the ship. Unfortunately, a storm rages against the ship, and Pi is thrown to the ocean, along with some people and animals. Only he, a zebra, rat, tiger, hyena, an orangutan make it to the desperate shelter of a lifeboat as he watches his past sink beneath him.
From this part on, the filmmakers pull out all their cinematography stops. From leagues of jelly fish to scores of flying fish the heavily incorporated CGI footage appears realistic. On the boat he learns how to survive on the ocean and cope with the tiger, the only surviving animal (for obvious reasons). He retains his commitment to never take a life for as long as possible, and is cautious, but not malicious, towards Richard Parker, the tiger. He learns survival coping skills, becomes resourceful, and lets his instinct rule as danger resides above (with the teeth of animals) and below (with teeth of sharks). The tiger's presence was good for Pi, as he reflected back on his life, "Attending to the tiger's needs gives my life purpose."
Yes, Pi did eventually live, although he had given God everything, and felt he and the tiger were about to die. In the crux of a storm, he cried: "God, thank you for giving me my life." By good fortune he found an island disconnected from humanity, with plenty of food, animals, and water, but he concluded that it was not enough to truly sustain him. He traveled on until he reached the Mexican shore, survived, and went on to have a wife, cat, and some kids.
Nice story.
Yet, when he was picked up, nobody believed him. The amazing twist of this story is that all of this may not have happened. At the tail end of the movie, two Japanese men ask Pi to give them "a believable story" for their company. And Pi, after showing us the entire movie with the tiger, goes on to explain another — more "rational" story. But why, after all the beauty we've seen? Most people have given this movie high reviews, raving about the mesmerizing scenes, the CGI, the tension between Pi and the tiger, great acting, and sheer imagination in the film. While the movie contains all of these, I might suggest that the core of the movie is about none of them.
This movie is like a bag full of gems. One could easily unpack the thousand symbolic wonders of this film. But the most unusual part of this movie is that it encourages the viewer to decide completely for themselves what to believe. We first see the story of the tiger, but the tiger could also represent Pi's evil instincts. As the movie unfolds, every event on the boat could be symbolic . . . or not. The island could be the bosom of a god. Or it could be symbolic of resting in humanity. Pi could have been interacting with the animals, or he could have been cannibalizing people (it goes to show that depth of content indeed can be found in PG rated movies).
So, a dilemma occurs. Which do we choose? The first story was about miracles, phenomenal, sentimental, yet hard to believe. It is about what God was doing. The other is plain and believable: Pi simply sat on the hospital bed and told us. Yes, tears were streaming down his face, but it's easy to trivialize, and easier to forget. Nobody forgets the tiger.
I believe that Pi told his story in such a way as to not be trivialized. Whether anyone believes it is up to them, but as the story unfolds, our hearts want to believe in the tiger. No matter which story we believe, the second story is given so much more depth and meaning when told in light of the first.
If the first story wasn't told, it would be difficult to believe that God had a hand in the process. When someone shares their story, it's easy to trivialize their deliverance. Pi may have fantasized his story so we could see how important his deliverance is — physically and spiritually. He was able to realize in tribulation that God was making provision for him.
When it comes down to it, The Life of Pi is open-ended, but not without leaving us in tension. It is our choice in how much we draw from this movie. Will we choose the logical, fact-driven view, rationalizing all the mystery, or should we embrace a providential, terrifying God who guides us as we trust him? Pi has given us all the options; now we must simply have faith.