Truth be told, I don't have an idea how I'm going to talk about this movie.
It's enchanting and surreal. You get absorbed in the way the narrative is told. It's like listening to an experienced story-teller's story. Yann Martel is genius no doubt about that; but Ang Lee is as talented for that matter. Getting something expressed in words into a film is no easy feat. meanings get lost in between, either that or there's no new revelations discovered in the moving picture.
the crux of the story comes to light (maybe not) when the story is coming to a close.
The shipwreck experience was told by Pi to the Japanese freighter company, which needed details of his story to settle the insurance claims. that was when he finally reached the warm shores of Mexico.
Read it here.
thank you wikipedia!
Breath taking scenes throughout the movie. The cinematography is well-executed, good direction, meticulously put-together cast, provoking plot. all these are undeniable and factual about this movie.
But I guess people are heating up the discussion (or argument in some cases) about the true meaning behind this movie.
what is the truth? what really happened? what does something represent? what is right or wrong?
Metaphorically, there are absolutely tons of symbolism you can try to decipher and give meaning to. From there, maybe you can predict what Ang Lee wants to express (if you reckon it to be true, that is).
People say they believe the truth to be the cannibalism story and Pi devoured someone onboard and the animal story is just something out of his imagination, which was to make himself reconcile with the harsh reality that he did something inhumane in the worst circumstances, out in the sea.
Or some say the animal story is the truth, it's the proof that people grew not to believe what they don't see or deem logical.
Others agree that it might be a mix of both, no one including Pi, could differentiate one from the other anymore. altered memory caused by guilt, confusion, threat of survival, fabrication.
Yes this about believing in something. But it doesn't matter which story you choose. like Pi, he chose hinduism, christianity, muslim, even jew. His father said "if you believe in everything, it's like believing in nothing", when talking over a meal at the dinner table. but there's a difference, choosing to believe is an empowerment of yourself. you are actively engaging yourself to understand something outside of you. believing in nothing is when you choose not to believe at all. Passively waiting for time to pass and just becoming numb to everything.
The protagonist was named "Piscine Molitor" at birth, because his uncle said it was the clearest water ever, there's not another one the swimmer uncle had came across and loved so much. Then, he became Pi (π) to avoid schoolmates from making fun of his name which sounded unhygienic. He even went to memorise the tons of recurring decimal places after 3.1417..........
you get what i mean.
I can't help but think about the commonalities across philosophies and religions. I think almost all of them made the start of everything an obsolete state, with nothing at all, like a neutral state. a clean slate. then from there the world started, one then two then four, exponentially growing and dividing. Isn't this like Pi, you can see the universe from the boy. and he sees the world, trying and testing different possibilities. he doesn't offer solutions, he makes people think of solutions. numerous and without attaching moral judgements.
I remembered telling one of my varsity friends, who was a Christian, that i think all the gods are secretly having parties and afternoon teas up there. Unlike warlords, they live together like good neighbours should, more like consultant agencies more than anything else. People need to believe to hold on to life, to keep moving and living. Sometimes life is too arduous to bear, too cruel to watch, too painful to persevere. We need anything, something to tide us over that rough patch. She didn't say much, she nodded and gave a smile. I guess she believes in Jesus over any other gods. it's a preference, there's no wrong in there.
Because humans have the liberty to express ourselves through words and languages, we develop complex thinking systems, complex living patterns as well. animals can't break out of their cycles much since they are forced to live under our thumbs. But how much do we differ from them exactly. aren't we essentially relatives?
what we see in their eyes aren't just reflections of our emotions, they do possess souls and feelings as well. and humans reverts to their true self when survival becomes the sole motive, so i don't find the cannibalism story gruesome in any way. it's a choice, it's a way of life.
in other ways, we are still cannibalistic. it's even a more bloody scene when no flesh and blood is involved.
maybe it's the seeking journey to believe that matters. not about the result but what you gathered on the road to your destination. and where's the destination, that's another problem.
sometimes, we fear. I fear too.
hold on, breathe, feel yourself and just believe.
believe. just believe that when you open your eyes, you'll see a way, a sign, a light.
watch the movie and believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment