Bunny Movies: Life of Pi

Life of Pi caught my attention once it was shown in theaters. Even when I had no idea what the movie was about, I was determined to watch it anyways simply because a.) the trailer looks great (which means it does its job) b.) the movie is directed by Ang Lee c.) Life of Pi is said to be an 'unfilmable' book.

My eyes were starved for stunningly beautiful images and I was about to feed them as I gave my ticket to the cinema usher. During the 127 minutes I sat in front of the screen, my eyes were widened by the breathtaking scenes of the sky and the calm sea.

The first ten minutes of the movie showing animals in nature were the magic the post-production team made to create a peaceful virtual landscape within a screen. The 3D images were spectacular indeed, but don't expect to see a lot of them. In fact, there were a lot of close-ups throughout the movie emphasizing the emotions shown on the characters' faces, which didn't look so 3D. But the movie after all isn't a superficial one showing animals coming out of nowhere. It is a narrative about narration itself.

Is it just me or the tiger cried?

My bunny (the book hater) described the whole movie with one word - Indian. He was obviously joking but you know what? He made a point. The setting, the music and the scenes of nature do add a scent of exoticism which is fancied by everyone. I am sure a hundred and twenty-seven minute escape from reality is worth more than a hundred dollars.

As I was watching the movie, I couldn't help thinking about how surprisingly similar Life of Pi is to The Little Prince. Both of them portray the story of a young boy. Both of the protagonists tell an unbelievable and surreal journey. Right at the moment Pi told the Japanese investigators how he survived the shipwreck, I knew the movie wasn't just a story anymore, it was a story of how a story was told.

I guess it is impossible to neglect the element of religions in the movie (e.g. the pray, the church, the Ark). The fact that Pi believes in three religions either tells you he is very religious or very irreligious. I can't really decide upon that. Let's just say he has a heart full of faith. Having said that, he never says no to doubt. Here's the conversation between Pi and the writer:

Pi: Faith is a house with many rooms.
Writer: But no room for doubt?
Pi: Oh plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.

Indeed, his faith was tested, in a hard way. As he was struggling to survive, he kept questioning why God would bring him such tragedy. He wondered if God was really there up in the Heaven and watched over him. It was the moment when his faith was shaken by his agony. He was so close to letting go of faith but no he didn't.

Of course he didn't. I mean he survived, right? If it was the sole reason he kept his faith, the whole surreal journey with the tiger, the hyena, the zebra and the orangutan would be meaningless. Remember I said the movie is a narrative about narration itself? Here it goes.

Pi told the author two stories about what happened after the shipwreck. One was ludicrous, the other one was brutal. One was about how the little boy lived with the four animals during the cast away. The other one was about how a cold-blooded cook relentlessly murdered a sailor and Pi's mother and Pi's revenge. While both narratives were equally unreliable, they left the listeners to decide what they wanted to believe. It turned out that the Japanese investigators, as well as the writer, chose to believe in the ludicrous one. Pi laughed. He said "and so it goes with God."

The lack of an authentic grand narrative tells us the ultimate truth - that there is no authentic narrative. We believe in what we want to believe, and the particular choice in believing reflects our values. In Life of Pi, the choice of believing in the animal story reflects the characters' faith in God and humanity. I was astonished by the art of narrative in the movie, and the great message brought out by the unauthentic narrative.


My bunny asked me if the two stories are parallel ones and the tiger represents Pi, why would Pi live with the tiger, implying that they co-exist in a universe? He is such a man of positivism. As for myself, if I was to write an academic essay on the movie, I would definitely write an analysis on Pi's id and super ego. But as a common audience, I am willing to just leave the uncanny part unexplained and choose what I want to believe. At least, I left the cinema with a smile on my face, and satisfaction in my heart.