ANIMALS HAVE SOULS. I HAVE SEEN IT IN THEIR EYES

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2018)

The film opens with a lengthy character build-up of Pi. It starts off with the crude explanation on how he got his name. It contrasts this with Pi's discovery of religion to the point of believing in universalism. His lofty ideas are quickly contrasted with a dose of reality when a tiger, he thinks he has connected with, eats a live goat. After he develops a love interest we finally come to the meat of the tale.
His family opts to go to Canada on a Japanese merchant ship and if everything went okay, you wouldn't see a picture of Pi in a boat with said tiger promoting this film. His life's experience are reflected in his relationship with the tiger and survival at sea.
Pi's life is one filled with contrasts. He is a microcosm of India and perhaps the world as his name is symbolic of the constant the defines circles, orbs, and globes. That is the spiritual aspect. However his name derives from the "P" word giving it a dose of crude reality. The film/book is designed to be a metaphor. This is demonstrated in the end when Pi gives us two stories, then asks, "Which do you prefer?" as a way to test one's views in a world of contrasts.
While the film is interesting on a number of levels, it is heavily narrated with an accent. This caused me to occasionally miss a word every now and then. Hopefully the DVD will have English subtitles.
Parental Guide: No sex or nudity. While rated PG I thought Pi dropped the F-bomb near the end when he was talking about the two Japanese investigators. It was tough to tell with the accent. Beginning of film frequently refers to pi**ing.