Reviews, Interviews , News, Commentaries, My Top 5 Movies, Best-Of Lists, Filmmakers of Faith, Film ForumLife of Pi
Director Ang Lee creates a big, beautiful, and very spiritual film. But the spirituality is all over the map.
[ posted 11/21/2012 9:04AM ]
- How might a Christian use a film like Li of Pi to lead a non-Christian friend into a conversation about Jesus and the gospel?
The Family Corner
Life of Pi is rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril. Teaching his young son a lesson, Pi's father forces him to watch a tiger kill a goat, but we only hear the noise and see the tiger dragging the dead animal away. The film implies that many people die, including Pi's family, when a ship sinks. On several occasions, Pi almost dies while fighting to survive out on the ocean. Though not graphic, we see some of the zoo animals kill one another. The central theme of the story is religious plurality; the story insists that all religions are equal and right and, thus, lead to God.
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Pete Jones
continued from previous comment..... As a Christian seeking to bring others to gospel this all seems like something we can use to me, it presents a point of departure and a platform for discussion. A popular novel/film that is worth discussing for the resonances it has with biblical stories and the gospel regardless of what the author is trying to say.
Pete Jones
This sounds like evangelical rigidity all be it intelligently articulated. The world isn't Christian and neither are Hundus. If that sounds obvious then consider that this is a worldly novel, not an evangelical treatise! Firstly, Pi, as 'a Hindu first' is a pantheist. Within the conceptual reality of the text it is perfectly natural for him to assimilate other gods as he wishes to, it's not pluralism as such as just good Hindhu Dharma. He prays to Vishnu in his hour of need! Secondly, the book tells a single story twice, leaving the believing/interpretation up to us. As such it creates debate. The end piece, 'a story we can believe' 'is lonely, dark and tragic. It is stripped of all romance and poetry and has little resonance. Nobody wins, the loss and suffering hold no meaning, but they are all that remain. The alternative however, is full of resonance; Purpose and self discovery are born through the suffering as well as an unlikely empathy with other life. ...to be continued
Don Cope
This movie was to me one of the most intellectual and spiritual movies I have ever seen. My favorite part of the movie was when the Japanese claim investigators came to hear Pi's story. Of course, the entire journey that was covered in the adventure section of the movie, was his story. The investigators were unsatisfied with the story since there was so much that was uncomprehensible to them. Pi asked them "what do you want with me?". They responded, "A story that doesn't make us look like fools; a story that we can believe; the truth!" So Pi told the second, more believable story. This is so like us as modern Christians! The story of Jesus is so amazing, yet so hard to believe! So we seek to understand through reason alone (Just like Pi's father!). We seek another story. One that doesn't make us sound like fools in an intellectual world. One that is more believable. Our concept of truth! And the world is willing to tell us such a story!