Happy New Year to one and all! May blessing and mercy fall upon you in 2013.
Yesterday we went to see “Life of Pi” at the movies. I have to admit that, having not read the book, I had very low expectations. All that I knew was that it was about a boy and a tiger on a boat, adrift… which seemed a very implausible basis for a story.
I was pleasantly surprised. My usual cynicism towards pseudo-spiritual novels was overcome by the warmth and humour of the story.
In short, I loved it! Here’s why…
Thought-provoking
As we came out of the cinema I turned to my wife for her reaction. She made a comment that, “There was a lot to think about.” This hit the nail on the head.
Life of Pi is about the power of story to challenge us to think about meaning. I don’t want to give away spoilers, so you’ll just have to take my word for it, but this story is shared between two characters who are interested in the question of whether or not God exists… and, if he does, what that might mean for us as humans.
For me, thoughts provoked included ideas about the nature of God and the relationship of the different faiths to one-another. As a person who naturally shrinks from simplistic syncretism (the idea that all religious ideas are talking about the same thing) I was, nonetheless, amused by the presentation of a person seeking answers through three religious traditions at once. The film reveals a deeply Hindu view of God which nicely blends traditional worship of many deities with the monotheism of Christian and Islamic thought.
Powerful
Visually the film is stunning, especially in a couple of scenes where the numinous (the sense of being very small before a very large universe) was communicated in a very powerful manner. I can see me using some of the imagery to help convey a sense of the numinous to pupils who have yet to experience such moments in their own lives.
Emotionally the film delivers very warm and compelling characters towards whom you feel genuine care. This leads to moments when tears well at the eyes and you are left struggling to hold them back. The power of Pi’s struggles was something that surprised me but without leaving me with a taste of cheese in my mouth. I especially liked the way in which the boy and the tiger are separated: it is simply better writing than most.
Spiritually the film has a heart and soul. Atheism and theism are treated openly and fairly, each providing the characters with insight into the true nature of the world. Modernism is what is being challenged – the idea that humans are progressing inevitably towards a better state of being – but this is subtle and never directly mentioned. It’s just the juxtaposition between the “New India” and the attitudes explored about the nature of truth that really stood out.
Oh, and I loved the music too. Very much a part of the whole. Gorgeous!
Why watch it?
If you’re interested in ideas about the Divine and you are open to exploring the relationship between Western and Eastern ideas then this is a good film to see.
If you enjoy heartfelt and emotional character-driven stories and can handle questions of meaning then, again, this is a good movie to watch.
If you’re not interesting in spiritual and religious ideas, however, you’ll probably find it tedious.
This is not a film designed to appeal to modernists and materialists. It’s a very post-modern exploration of the nature of reality and spirit which, while embracing the physical whole-heartedly, questions the limited world-view of categories and labels.
And if you like beautiful images of animals you should go and see it too!
Enjoy!
