The label ‘unfilmable’ was once bestowed, on rare occasions, upon printed works that were thought to be impossible to realise cinematically. Now, the term is imparted with increasing frequency, becoming – for the novels that earn it – a badge of honour. The term also acts as an invitation for creative filmmakers to achieve what others deem impossible. Some efforts soar (The Road, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), others falter (Dune), or languish in between (On the Road). Ang Lee’s transformative, tender screen translation of Life of Pi most definitely falls into the former category.
It is easy to understand how Yann Martel’s 2001 Man Booker Prize-winning novel received such a description, with the author spinning a surreal yet spiritual story as he mused on myths, morality and mortality. For the bulk of the tale, his teenaged titular protagonist (newcomer Suraj Sharma) is cast adrift in the Pacific Ocean, with only an unfriendly tiger by the name of Richard Parker for company. Later in life, Pi (now played by Irrfan Khan, The Amazing Spider-Man) relates his experiences to an interested writer (Rafe Spall, Prometheus).
Thankfully, three years after his last feature – Taking Woodstock – Lee accepted the challenge of adapting the novel for the screen; a challenge previously abandoned by M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Micmacs). From the opening menagerie montage that sets the scene for Pi’s animal-oriented voyage, it is impossible to imagine the story successfully coming to life in anyone else’s hands; Lee’s emotionally moving and aesthetically assured handling of the ocean-set sequences that comprise much of the movie confirm his mastery of the material.
With dexterity and delicacy, the director crafts David Magee’s (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) subtle screenplay into an immersive opera about the human condition under the most extreme of circumstances. Employing leisurely pacing to allow the narrative to organically unfold works in the film’s favour, as does Claudio Miranda’s (TRON: Legacy) cinematographic wizardry, both combining with Mychael Danna’s (Moneyball) lyrical score to honour Martel’s fable on faith. The end result effortlessly elicits the audience investment required to embrace Pi’s spiritual and physical journey, first through sheer wonder, then through the exploration of the film’s poignant parable.
Yet, the achievement is not Lee’s alone, courtesy of the outstanding efforts of his cast and crew. While Sharma is a revelation as he essays the stranded survivor’s many moods, Khan brings a wounded humility to the adult version of the character. However, it is in the presentation of perhaps the most unfilmable component of the tale – the tiger, Richard Parker – that the feature reaches transcendent heights. Though a mixture of real animals and computer-generated imagery is employed, Life of Pi’s treatise on the confidence of conviction is encapsulated in its handling of the tiger; in its expertly-realised, adversarial elements of beauty, bravery and brutality, you will believe that anything is possible.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
Life of Pi
Director: Ang Lee
USA, 2012, 127 min
In cinemas January 1
Distributor: Fox
Rated PG
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