movie analysis*

Title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Genre: Fiction (Realistic)

Characters:

• Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He was named after a swimming pool in Paris, despite the fact that neither his father nor his mother particularly liked swimming. The story is told as a narrative from the perspective of a middle-aged Pi, now married and with his own family, and living in Canada. At the time of main events of the story, he is sixteen years old. He recounts the story of his life and his 227-day journey on a lifeboat when his ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a voyage to North America.
• Richard Parker is a tiger that is stranded on the lifeboat with Pi when the ship sinks. The tiger lives on the lifeboat with Pi and is kept alive with the food and water Pi delivers. Richard Parker develops a relationship with Pi that allows them to coexist in their struggle.
• Pi's Mother/Orange Juice - Pi's mother is named Gita, but she's mostly just referred to as "Mother." She's an incredibly warm presence for Pi. She's sympathetic when his father tries to teach him a lesson about the danger of animals with the zoo's tiger. When Pi was stating the true story to the Japanese people who interviewed him, they didn't believe him. Instead, Pi told them another story in which the orangutan was assumed to be his mother.
• The Hyena/The Cook - If there's anything like pure evil in Life of Pi, it comes in the form of the hyena, who, in Pi's second version of his experiences at sea, is the cook. In a way, it's much more understandable in the form of the hyena. It's a vicious animal and so it shouldn't surprise us that the hyena would eat a zebra and kill an orangutan.
• The Zebra/The Taiwanese Sailor - The Taiwanese sailor simply suffers. In the second (animal-less) story told by Pi, the cook needlessly amputates the sailor's broken leg to use as fishing bait. The zebra, in the story with animals, breaks his leg jumping onto the lifeboat only for the hyena to tear off the limb. Really, the hyena eats the zebra alive, and Richard Parker finishes the job. The sailor is on the receiving end of grave injustice.
• Pi's father, Santosh, is a lovable guy: devoted to his business and family, intelligent, and though impatient with Pi's religious experimentation, ultimately kind. Pi's father is also pretty wise. He's practical, pragmatic, and a successful zookeeper.
• Pi's brother, Ravi has such a lively and lighthearted spirit. He's irreverent.
• Francis Adirumbasamy – also known as Mamaji is the guru of all gurus. He's the guy who tells the author about Pi. Not only does he direct the author to Pi, he also teaches Pi how to swim. The ability to swim turns into a pretty practical gift when Pi ends up in the middle of the ocean.
• Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba - They're hapless. They disagree and lose focus. They're the agnostics of the book and perhaps mirror the response of the critical, secular reader. It's telling that these two want to know the "straight facts" of the story that will explain the mechanical failure of the Tsimstum. They have no interest in a surprising, beautiful, messy story.

Setting: 1960-1976. Pondicherry, India; the Pacific Ocean; Mexico; Canada

Plot:
     In the first part of the movie, the adult Pi reminisces about his childhood. He was named Piscine Molitor Patel after a swimming pool in France. When he begun secondary school, he decided to have his nickname changed to "Pi" because he was always bullied by his classmates and friends and was called "Pissing Patel".  Therefore, he explains to each of his class where he got his nickname "Pi" by discussing the value of Pi in mathematics. His father, being a zoo-keeper in Pondicherry, provides the family a comfortable lifestyle and a little knowledge about animals.

     Pi was raised in India and they practice Hinduism. One day, Ravi challenged Pi to drink the holy water. After which, Pi was able to go to Church and it seems he wants to love God after the priest has discussed to him God's love to the people. He tries to understand every religion and ended believing three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Hindu.

      Eventually, Pi's father decides to sell the zoo and the animals, as well, to various zoos before they move to Canada. In the second part of the movie, Pi's family together with their animals embark on Tsimstum to Canada. Unfortunately, the freighter meets a storm and it sank, together with his mother, father, brother, other animals and passengers of the ship. Luckily, Pi was able to escape with a lifeboat together with the zebra, the hyena, and the orangutan.

       Striving for survival, the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan. At this point, Pi discovered that eventually, the tiger named Richard Parker had been with him in the lifeboat after it kills the hyena. Afraid of the tiger, Pi constructs a floating raft and decides to separate from the tiger. What Pi gets to satisfy his hunger and thirst, he also deliver some to Richard Parker to keep him satisfied, and trains him to overcome seasickness through whistles. After all of their struggle, the tiger now managed to tolerate Pi's presence and they both lived together in the boat.

      There was one time when Pi and Richard Parker was drifted to an algae island with a lot of meerkats, in which they later discovered to be carnivorous, they decided to leave. After 227 days, the lifeboat washes up onto the coast of Mexico and Richard Parker was so delighted to finally see a nearby jungle. He immediately escaped and left his friend, Pi, without even saying goodbye. This made Pi so sad to finally let go of his friend whom he considered to be one of the reason that he was alive.

       In the last part of the movie, two Japanese people spoke to Pi to ask why the ship sank. Pi told them the true story but they did not believe him. Left without a choice, Pi tells an alternative story. The officials didn't get any reason of why the ship sank. Now, Pi asks the writer which of the two stories he prefer, and he believed in the story with the animals.

Theme:

• The Will to Live. This movie is all about the struggle to survive. This will to live is proven by Pi's eating of fish to sustain himself, even though he is a vegetarian. Even the animals in the boat struggled to survive, like the hyena eating the zebra and the orangutan, yet the two managed to fight because they also want to live. Richard Parker, after eating the hyena, and after jumping to the water for him to feed himself is a signal of every creature's will to survive.
• Faith in God. Throughout the movie, Pi clearly shows to the viewers that indeed, his belief in God can never be taken away from him. Pi's devotion has been tested several times through a lot of hardships he encountered along his journey, yet he never seemed to doubt God. He leaves it all to God, and he never did blamed God for his situation.

Symbolism:

• The color Orange. The color seems to symbolize survival and security because the life jacket, the whistle, the life buoy, the tiger and even the notebook which he considered his greatest treasure in the boat is orange in color. These things I've mentioned aided Pi throughout his journey. Imagining Pi without these things, is an impossible survival. Richard Parker was the only creature that Pi can talk to while at sea. And this is a big help for Pi to never lose hope because he believes he and the tiger deserves to live. Even the monkey was named Orange Juice, and the orangutan helped Pi through giving him emotional support to surpass the tragedy. Orange Juice once surprised Pi when he hit the hyena, yet she died later on.
• The Carnivorous Island. The island was so beautiful at day, an ideal comfortable life, with all the seaweeds, the meerkats, and the freshwater ponds it contain, yet it seemed to transform at night while it kills fishes and disappears again at day. For me, the island symbolizes us and our faith because if we satisfy ourselves with whatever we want to eat and drink, whatever we want to do, and all the things that can gratify us of physical comfort, we might not be conscious that what we maybe doing is wrong, and this may kill us. If Pi settled on that island, he must have been dead. Yet, he preferred to brave the seas, and there he had his reward of survival. This may symbolize our life. That challenges may be encountered, but God will always give us rest.

1. What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?

      -"Life of Pi" simply narrates the life of Pi itself as it struggles to survive and live life. This tells the viewers how life is so important to other people, so we better value it and we are so lucky to have it.

2. Among the characters, to whom can you relate to?

   -Among the characters, I can say I'm more like Pi. Even though I couldn't imagine myself surviving after 227 days at sea, I can say I'm willing to struggle for my life. I know how to handle my fears, and I know how to adjust in certain situations in which some people are strangers. I'm a curious person and I'm fund of asking. Like Pi, I also value my life, and I have a strong grip in my faith in God.

3. Which part of the presentation struck you the most? Why?

       -"I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye." In this scene, Richard Parker left Pi and Pi seems to expect that the tiger would be turning back to him and to bid goodbye, yet he was disappointed. This struck me most because at a certain point in our lives, we will also be leaving or we will be left behind by the people we love. May it be death or not, I know it's painful when you know you still want to be with them, yet your chances are over. What's left of you is your choice of letting go and moving on. Nothing will ever be permanent in our life, except for the fact that God will always be with us and he will never abandon us.

4. What is the movie’s message?
     -After the movie, viewers will eventually have a lot of interpretations. But for me, the movies' message is: "Life will always be a matter of choice". At the finale of the movie, the Japanese interviewers were asked what story do they believe and this movie seems to make us think deeper what we should believe in and why. May it be with faith, with life, with love, decisions will always rely on us. We still have this free will to choose, on where we are happy and for what is right.

5. Did I like this in general? Why?

    -At that moment I saw the trailer, I thought this would be nice because Indian movies are meaningful movies like that of Aamir Khan. So, I was really eager to watch and I never had regrets with how much I paid for the movie. It was all worth it because you will be able to appreciate life in this movie. Our subject's film-viewing was my fourth time to watch "Life of Pi" yet I never get tired of it. This movie means a lot and this could have different reactions from the viewers which makes this so interesting. Except for the fact that it is indeed a great movie, from the actors, to the actresses, and to the effects, it is really intended for the whole family and kids would definitely enjoy the pictures. You won't think that the animals were computerized.This makes the viewers appreciate animals and nature as well.

6. Did I agree with the main theme/purpose? Why or why not?

     -Yes I agree with the theme of "Life of Pi" because supporting scenes were clearly shown in the movie.

7. What specifically did I like/dislike? Why?

    -I praise Yann Martel for this book and Ang Lee for this movie because it was indeed a great work of art. I like everything in the movie. Omitting a single scene may not make the whole story wonderful. Everything was of purpose to other scenes in the movie. I learned a lot from it, even up to the basic characteristics of animals. Only after watching the movie I was able to know that jellyfish do glow in the dark, and that bananas float in seawater. One thing I've noticed, was that some of the scenes were exaggerated and impossible. Like the lifeboat which was never affected by great floods, the overpopulation of meerkats, the glow of jellyfishes, the stability of Pi's family's room despite the waves of the storm, of how did the tiger got the deer from outside of his cage with small holes on bars, and of why the light was still on after the ship has sunk. I suppose, it is really fiction.

8. Are there any aspects of theme which are left ambiguous at the end? Why?

      -Everything in the movie was clear. Nothing was left doubtful except for whatever we may think of the story of Pi, of what is more believable; the story with the animals, or the one without :)

9. How does this film relate to the things that are happening in your life?
     -The film values the gift of life, family, friendship and faith, which I can say are the essentials of living a happy life. This gift from God were only borrowed by us, it is never permanent, and we are not the owner. I believe that only God can take away my life. Not my family, not my friends, not other people, not even me. As a human being, we are meant to socialize in order for us to survive. Thus, my family and friends are mainly one of the reason of my existence and purpose here on earth. Life can never be this pleasurable without them. Faith, in this instance, will always be tested. It is up to me, how strong I am and how firmly I believe in God' presence, and that I will forever instill in my mind, that whatever life gives me, may it be happiness or sorrows, challenges or opportunities, defeats or triumphs, at the end of the day, I know I am loved, and that God will never ever leave me even when it seems the world will turn its back on me ;)

"Above all: don't lose hope."