"Life of Pi" releases just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and the movie is a stark reminder of all that we have to be thankful for. Producer Ang Lee has done an amazing job presenting the book originally written by Yann Martel and is a stunning combination of CGI and storytelling.
"Life of Pi" tells the story of a young man, called Pi, who struggles to find himself in the world. Pi is not like most children and instead of being interested in the typical childish things, he focuses instead on discovering his religious identity. Pi decides that he is Christian, Muslim, and Jewish at the same time, taking the best of each religion to heart and practice.
In one moment, though, his life and faith are put to the test. After his family is killed while traveling to Canada, Pi finds himself left alone on a raft with a Bengal tiger, zebra, and hyena. It's a matter of survival that soon turns into an epic struggle for life and understanding in the darkest of circumstances.
Left all alone, Pi must come to grips with his belief in God and the very real threat of impending death. Yet through it all, Pi never actually loses faith and instead takes on a maturity beyond his years, providing an example of surrender that the rest of us could surely learn from.
There are plenty of religious analogies to be found throughout the film, which features newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi. The screenplay, written by David Magee was painstakingly pieced together from the original novel, so as not to leave any important details out.
Producer Ang Lee, famous for his visual gifts, leaves nothing to the imagination in this film. One feels as though they are with Pi, being battered around by waves and threatened by nature at every turn. During a press conference, Lee credited new technology with allowing him to tell the story in this particular way.
"Life of Pi" is a visual delight and one comes away from the film with a new and stronger appreciation for the power of storytelling. It opens in theaters tomorrow, Nov. 21.
Watch a trailer for "Life of Pi" here:
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