Sublime Filmmaking

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2012)

We live in an era of cinema where it's very difficult to feel fulfilled with contemporary movies. There is some dissatisfaction about how the emphasis is on special effects and more than often the script is weak in comparison. Also, some people associate only serious themes with quality, and we can't help but wonder why we seem to place so much weight on period/costume movies while evaluating films. Thankfully we have people like Ang Lee who will not put a film together if the elements don't fit. With the exception of the "Hulk" which looks right and has a good story, yet it didn't quite match his other accomplishments, and he has tried just about every genre in cinema.
Here he gives us what could be his absolute masterpiece, "The Life of Pi" a film that works in so many levels: it's entertaining, wondrous, a metaphor for faith and the power of life, for just about every feeling we can think of or feel. It is so powerful that every single frame and line in it has a purpose and grabs our attention in a gentle and yet, sure way. Once the film begins, you can't look away or engage in any other thoughts, and all sorts of annoying technology (other than the one in the screen) is forgotten. As a member of the audience, you want this superb piece of imagery and storytelling to continue charming you, teaching you, getting inside your head, heart and soul.
Pi tells his amazing survival story to another man, a writer I believe, and the beginning of the film provides the background of a young man who believes in spirituality and searches for answers from early. Later on, as the story takes him across the world, his beliefs and faith will be tested in several incredible ways. Pi is from India, and he has a connection to living beings and other spiritual entities. His family doesn't quite understand his hunger, but his mothers tells the others to allow to pursue what he feels is right.
As they decide to move to Canada, tragedy strikes their ship, and Pi finds himself stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with a few animals that managed to escape from the cargo holds. His odyssey, with Mr. Lee's amazing control of every possible film element, from one of the most sensational pieces of editing, some magical cinematography, sound effects, and a lovely music score, we learn, as he does that there are a few miracles out there, and most of the times, encountering them is a test of the soul.
Most of the interaction is between him and Richard Parker, a Bengali tiger that has as much will to live as Pi does. Lee has filmed some unbelievable scenes, and I am still in awe about the way he did accomplish this. It's either the wonders of great editing, some quite sensational computer graphic imagery, or just plain terrific direction by Lee.
Pi and Parker's main goal is to survive, and they start by outsmarting each other and proving their worth, claiming territoriality, and giving us some thrilling and at times, very funny and scary exchanges. Eventually, as the story reaches its last sections, we see another type of link develop, and a film that is certainly qualifying as a wonderful movie from its beginning has now soared into greatness. The audience must be ready to gasp, and choke as powerful expressions, sometimes wordless acting force us into looking into our own emotions. Tears will inevitable roll out as you witness beauty rarely shown in movies. "Pi" is surely one of the best films ever made, an instant classic, and a reflection into humanity, those entities we choose to guide us through our human trek in this world. Whether or not you believe its message, can relate to its ideas or just enjoy its execution is entirely up to you. It does offer an interesting choice at it concludes. You decide. Either way, it will move you.