Review: Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ Makes You Believe in the Power of Stories

Life of Pi might not make you believe in God, as a character in the film suggests. It does, however, make you believe in the power of story, the way humans use them to explain or overcome trials the world deems necessary to drop us in, one of the many things that differentiates us from the wild creatures of the animal world. Based on Yann Martel’s award-winning novel and directed by the visually masterful Ang Lee, Life of Pi the movie is a banquet of beauty, a compelling story told through remarkable visuals. A million miracles align to make great film, and God, or whoever you believe in, was working overtime on this one. Pi, played throughout most of the film by newcomer Suraj Sharma, is a young Indian boy who lives in Pondicherry with his parents – a loving mother and stern but fair zookeeper father. Pi is a precocious child, …