He simultaneously practices Islam, Christianity, and Hindu, due to their different interpretations of faith and life. Pi is an extremely curious kid who is obsessed with the idea of religion and God. Fortunately, Ang Lee’s gorgeous and mesmerizing new film, Life of Pi, manages to find the perfect middle ground and avoid the pitfalls that most faith based movies fall into thanks to stunning visuals, a great story, and masterful direction.īased on Yann Martel’s best selling novel, Life of Pi tells the story of Pi Patel, the son of an Indian zookeeper in Pondicherry, India. Unless you find the balance between the two, any film that tries to explore faith is bound to crash and burn. Stay tuned for other movie discussions planned by the Reel Spirit Movie Project, including Dead Poets Society, our May selection.Spirituality on film is a tricky thing to get right try to push your message too hard and audiences will walk out of the theater feeling manipulated (I’m looking at you Passion of the Christ!), but stay too vague and no one will get the point. After registration, participants will receive information about the film, a discussion guide that focuses on key themes, and a dedicated link to join the discussion. Registrations will be received on a first-come, first-served basis and you can choose to make a donation via Eventbrite. A suggested donation of $5 or more per film discussion will help us continue to offer this and similar events. However, donations to Center for Spiritual Wisdom, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization, will be gratefully accepted. Cindy previously facilitated the RSMP discussion of Signs. The 2-hour discussion will be facilitated by Cindy Decker, Operations & Communications Manager at the Center. The Center will lead and host electronically through Zoom. Participants are asked to view Life of Pi prior to the discussion on April 21. You can view the trailer on YouTube here. It can also be rented via Apple iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, and DIRECTV (for $3.99). Please check your local library as well for DVD or streaming options. This film is available and can be streamed via HBO Max, HBO Now, Max Go, DIRECTV, and Cinemax Amazon Channel.
I have decided it is one of the best films of the year."įor more information about Life of Pi, see IMDB here. "Life of Pi" is all real, second by second and minute by minute, and what it finally amounts to is left for every viewer to decide. "Is it real? Is this whole story real? I refuse to ask that question. This story raises questions about the nature of reality and how it is perceived and told. Suraj Sharma plays 16-year old Pi Patel, who survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger. The novel won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and the film won several Academy Awards and British Academy Film Awards, including Best Directing, Cinematography, and Visual Effects. Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and starring Suraj Sharma, is adapted from the Yann Martel 2001 novel of the same name.
The Center will host a community discussion of the film on Thursday, Apfrom 7:00-9:00 pm. Center for Spiritual Wisdom’s April film selection is Life of Pi (2012).