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IT’S PI DAY! Worldwide March 14 (3/14 = 3.14 = ‘π’) is annually celebrated as Pi Day. The day is usually celebrated with a feast of pies at parties. I say, let your minds feast on this………

Admittedly, I am 5 years late on this post but it’s been sitting in my drafts for far too long so I figured, no better time than now to break down my favorite movie of 2012: Life of Pi. 

The Life of Pi was originally a book by Yann Martel that was released in 2001. In November of 2012, the film adaptation which was directed by Ang Lee was released. It remains the only PG rated film to win Best Director in the last 30 years! No, it’s not on Netflix, so if you’re not about that Kodi life, you can rent it on Amazon video for $4. Do it! The naturally befuddled feeling after watching the ending scenes led to a satisfying quest to peel apart the layers and find its purpose.  I can truly say the journey was great, but the destination was even greater.  Join me as we breakdown: LIFE OF PI   

****************SPOILER ALERT**************** 

DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 

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         The story WITHOUT the Tiger was TRUE!   The ending to Life of Pi begs its viewers to answer the question: “Which story was true?” After telling both the long-winded story with the Tiger and the story he gave to the Japanese officials, Pi asks the novelist in his home, “Which do you prefer?” To which the novelist replies, “The one with the tiger, that’s the better story.”  "And so it is with God,“ says Pi.  God and religion were mentioned early in the movie but for the majority of the film there was no mention, explaining in-part why the statement is so unexpected and profound. "And so it is with God.”  Essentially it means that choosing the Tiger Story means choosing God.  That God is the “better story.”  However, the question of truth still remains… Which story is TRUE? And the answer, I believe, is… IT DOESN’T MATTER!   In the original story there are a few details that are far-fetched or, as the novelist calls it, “incredible." 

"Bananas don’t float.” One Japanese official calls out a discrepancy in Pi’s tale where he claims the orangutan floats to the boat on a pile of bananas.  Pi sticks to his claim and says “Sure they do, try for yourself.” As minor a point as it is, the issue seems to be brought to light with some purpose.  Questions the validity of the story.

An island with an unlimited supply of vegetables growing from the roots of trees and meerkats covering every square inch while an acidic lake eats away at night?! Doubt it.

Finally, the elephant in the room. How can a boy actually survive with a tiger for 227 days???  (By the way, 22/7 =  ~3.14…. BOOM!)

On face value it seems like Pi is just trying to appease the Japanese officials in their quest for a story that is “believable” when he tells the story of his mother, the happy Buddhist, the cook, and himself stranded on the boat.  He seems to just be replacing the animals in the original story with people in the new story in order to suffice the officials’ inquiries. The story seems made up because of its parallels to the story we (the viewer) saw unfold, however, I believe there was truth permeating through that story.    Although I loved the film from beginning to end, the growing pains with Richard Parker seemed to drag on a bit too far. So if you have not heeded my SPOILER ALERT and are reading this without having seen the film just use the following Life of Pi Chart as a replacement for watching the “at sea” portion.  

At a young age, Pi was searching for God.  He was introduced to Hinduism by his mother.  Then he was introduced to Christianity by a priest after going into a church to drink the Holy Water.  He was introduced to Islam after attending a prayer service.  Finally, he is introduced to atheism or agnosticism by his father who tells Pi “Religion is darkness.” Recalling his quest for truth, Pi tells the novelist that “None of us know God until someone introduces us.”  Basically, we are introduced to organized religions from external sources.  Stories of Vishnu, Muhammad, and Jesus are experiences each of them had a long time ago and are not experiences of our own.  However, these stories are passed down from generation to generation and are applied to our lives to give our lives meaning.   

Whether its Yashoda seeing the universe in the mouth of Krishna, Muhammad’s Hijra, or Jesus in the wilderness, each experience significantly affected their lives.  Their experiences pointed them towards a relative truth.  Some beliefs can be shaken and some can be strengthened through the experience.  Like the juxtaposition of Pi’s father attributing 'Western medicine’ as the cure for his polio versus Pi’s mother using religion as her cherished connection with her displaced family.  For Pi, surviving at sea is the experience that significantly shapes his new found worldview. 

This is the key: In order to fully internalize a worldview or religion we must experience it for ourselves. Like Pi’s uncle who named Pi after the Piscine Molitor swimming pool where “a single swim there changed his life.”  Experiencing the pool himself changed his life.    

Upon landfall, Pi is seen with his face buried in the shore.  Narrating from the present day, Pi says he was starring down Richard Parker as he slowly walked away from Pi and the boat.  Before entering into the wilderness Richard Parker stopped.  At this moment Pi was hoping for a final acknowledgement of their time together. A roar or even a look-back.  But he got nothing and Richard Parker entered the expanse of the wilderness never to see Pi again.  

Just as the story was interpreted by the journalist, Richard Parker represents Pi.

This sequence is a representation of Pi’s new self leaving his old self behind. Upon entering the “wilderness of water” he found truth and no longer needed to search for meaning.

What Really Happened at Sea?

Well to put it plainly… Cannibalism.  

From Pi’s second story to the Japanese reporters we know the happy Buddhist, the cook, his mother, and he are on the boat after the shipwreck.  The happy Buddhist was wounded and put out of his misery.  Eventually, the cook, being the “resourceful” man that he was, ate the remains of the happy Buddhist.  After a few days, Pi’s mother and the cook got in a fight and the cook stabbed his mother and cast her overboard for the sharks.  All this much we know.  

Now for the presumption… In the retelling of the story Pi says that the day after the cook killed his mother, he killed the cook.  He goes on to say…and hear this out… “I did to him what he did to the sailor [happy Buddhist].” He follows with the statement, “He [the cook] was such an evil man, but worst still, he brought the evil out in me.” What the cook did to the sailor was kill him AND eat him.  That’s what Pi did to the cook.

The film sets out to establish that, along with his mother and brother, Pi is a vegetarian.  At the dinner table with his family his father takes a bite of the lamb curry and says it’s the best dish on the table and everyone else is missing out. Also, when his father gets in a fight with the cook in the mess of the ship it is because Pi’s father requested a vegetarian meal for Pi’s mother and the two sons (This is when the happy Buddhist comes over to offer his rice and gravy).  Although a minor point, Pi’s vegetarianism is highlighted to be a stark contrast against his cannibalistic behavior to emphasize his struggle to survive.  

The sustenance from the mysterious island was symbolic of the fruits of his cannibalistic acts. It was not until he encountered a human tooth (paralleling the tooth in the seaweed of his story) that he felt the guilt from what he was doing.

If that hasn’t convinced you:

The name 'Richard Parker’ is associated with real and fictional stories of people being shipwrecked as well as individuals being cannibalized. 

In 1846, an apprentice by the name of Richard Parker was among the 21 victims of a shipwrecked Francis Spaight.

In Edgar Allen Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, published in 1838, Richard Parker is a mutinous sailor on the ship Grampus.  After capsizing in the storm, Parker suggests he and the three other lone survivors draw lots to see which of them should be killed and preyed upon.  In a turn of events, Parker himself gets cannibalized by the others. Oh and by the way, the main character of the novel, Pym, has a dog named Tiger.

Not convinced yet, how about this…In 1884 a yacht by the name of Mignonette sank. Four people survived and drifted on a life boat. The cabin boy named…you guessed it…Richard Parker, was cannibalized by the other three.  If that wasn’t enough…the yacht made a cameo in the movie! This is a PlanBeeeee exclusive screenshot you won’t see anywhere else…

Life of Pi is an epic tale and visual masterpiece that sets out to essentially describe Pascal’s Wager.  Pardon my oversimplification of it but here’s the basics:

God exists or God does not exist

If you believe in God and he exists then you’ll have an infinite reward and if God doesn’t exist you’ll lose very little in your life anyway.

If you DO NOT believe in God and he exists then you’ll receive infinite punishment and if God doesn’t exist you’ll have gained very little.

Therefore, it is rational to believe in God 

***DISCLAIMER*** 

The following is my interpretation of the desired message of the film, it does not represent my own personal views:

The film adaptation of Life of Pi is telling us that life sucks. Death and tragedy are some of its only guarantees. We humans need something MORE. Something to give us hope. We need a story that will be better than our reality. We need a BETTER STORY….”and so it is with God.” Belief in the story of God will improve our own quality of life since we are winning at Pascal’s Wager and betting on what is the “rational” choice. The truth behind whether God exists or which god is the right God, is irrelevant. Life of Pi says, beyond all things, BELIEF IS BETTER THAN TRUTH.

My Takeaway

Pi gets caught following his crush Anandi after their dance practice. Here’s their exchange:

“Pi Patel: None of the other dancers did that. What did you mean? The God of love is hiding in the forest. (Referencing her interpretive dance moves)

Anandi: No, that also means the Lotus flower. 

Pi Patel: Lotus flower is hiding in the forest? Why would a Lotus flower hide in the forest?”

This is an analogy of the message. The Lotus flower is tangible, it is the cannibalism story, it is the tragedies of your present circumstance. While still somewhat hard to believe why the Lotus flower is in the forest, or how Pi survived, or how YOU have been down on your luck, it’s still a smaller leap of faith than the alternative. 

That alternative is Richard Parker, the orangutan, zebra, and hyena. That alternative is a mysterious island and floating bananas. That alternative is BELIEF. It is the God of love hiding in the forest. 

The Life of Pi taught me that God is out there. We must seek God, in order to find Him. True belief has a foundation in experience. Every one will encounter a time in their life when they as the all important questions:

“Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

What can I do to help?”

Oscar (the statuette) is valued at $700. If a recipient goes broke and wants to sell him, they absolutely can. It just has to be back to the Academy, and for nothing more or less than $1.00. Are McChicken sandwiches still $1.04 with tax? Well, there goes poor Daniel Day Lewis’s shot at eating dinner tonight. Sell it in the open market and they’d be in over their head in legal trouble since it is illegal to sell your Oscar. “Denzel Washington, the Academy is honored to LEND you this award for your outstanding work as a lead actor.” The red carpet alone is valued at $30,000! 

But let me stop pretending like Oscar isn’t valuable. Oscar winning actors and actresses go on to immediate pay increases. Male recipients can increase their value by around 81% after winning an Oscar. Female recipients don’t get as significant an increase (what else is new?), but their value goes up around $500,000 in their next movie.

So that 24-karat (magic…..couldn’t resist), $700-worth statuette does make a difference.

On to the picks…

Bee’s 2016 Best Picture Rankings & Predictions

This is the 4th straight year I’ve set out to watch each of the Best Picture nominated movies (Worth it!). Last year I had my worst Oscar predictions ever, going 3/6 in the major categories. Yet, my confidence remains unshaken.

Best Picture:

Will Win & Hope Wins: Moonlight- Some films transcend the screen. America needs to digest this film in 2017.

Lead Actor:

Will Win & Hope Wins: Denzel Washington (Fences)- No actor can dialog for that long and still captivate. The role was made for him.

Lead Actress:

Will Win & Hope Wins: Emma Stone (La La Land)- I’ll be honest, I didn’t see any of the other actresses’ performances but it’s hard to imagine beating out Emma’s singing and dancing.

Director:

Will Win: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Hope Wins: Denis Villenueve (Arrival) or Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Will Win & Hope Wins: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)- Just had his first baby by the way. What a weekend this could be. Go ahead and crown the man if we’re awarding his entire 2016. Killed it for Netflix as Remy (House of Cards) and Cottonmouth (Luke Cage). He and Janelle Monae also have roles in both Moonlight and Hidden Figures. Going to be a busy night for them. 

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Will Win & Hope Wins: Viola Davis (Fences)- Viola Davis losing this Oscar to anyone else will put Beyonce losing to Adele at the Grammy’s to shame. There’s never been a surer Oscars bet. I’d have given her best lead actress over Emma Stone if she was nominated for it.

Can’t wait to see how it plays out tonight!

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If you have some extra time in the bathroom, here’s my breakdown of the Best Picture nominees (ranked from least favorite to favorite):

9. Hell or High Water- Just overall quite boring. No idea what makes it stand out over some of the other hits of 2016. Zootopia or 13 Hours come to mind as better films in 2016.

8. Manchester By the Sea- Don’t really get why Casey Affleck is in the conversation for Best Lead Actor here. Manchester didn’t move me in the way it was supposed to.The film didn’t sensationalize a very real, yet odd family circumstance, and I appreciated that, but I just didn’t care enough for any character to care for the film.

Now we’re getting to the nominees I actually liked. 

7. Hidden Figures-  Hidden Figures is a film about black women and the power of persistence. Gender and race play a role in discrimination, not just 60 years ago, but even today. The empowerment of the qualified, regardless of skin color or gender, is truly what can Make America Great Again.

6. Lion- The movie captivated me from beginning to end.  Just a great mix of storytelling and visuals. I didn’t learn much from the film, other than to maybe show my mom more love, but it’s the best way of showing you that home is truly where the heart is.

5.  Hacksaw Ridge- Faith is a verb. The film showed me that true Christians check their privilege at the door. If your theology prevents you from loving those that persecute you or those that are different than you, it’s time to re-examine your theology. Following Jesus means you’re never content with ‘good enough.’ Seeking to affect the life of “just one more!” until the day you die. A little cookie-cutter in its delivery but the story and performance by Andrew Garfield carried the film.

4. Fences- Fences is such a unique film driven by its acting. The deep character development goes a long way because by the end of the film I was able to see through the eyes of multiple characters. Denzel and Viola Davis were PHENOMENAL! Deserving of every accolade they get. With an all-black cast set in the 1950s I defaulted to assuming it was about the struggle. At times it was. The baseball on a rope symbolizing the fact that the disenfranchised can swing as hard as they can yet still see no progress. But more than that I saw the film speak to the heart of a family. Of relationships. Of Love Languages. “Some people build fences to keep others out, others build fences to keep people in.” Just powerful stuff.

3. La La Land- Films like this don’t come by every year. A musical that builds a bridge between fantasy and reality. Drawn in by the charm of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling but actually moved by the reality that some dreams aren’t made up of the perfect love story ending. Ten years from now you’ll still be humming “City of Stars” and visualizing their first dance sequence. For it’s uniqueness, I won’t be mad if it wins it.

2. Moonlight- Remember Boyhood? Boyhood gave us a story we wanted to hear, Moonlight hits with a story we need to internalize. The title of the play it is based off tells the story. “In Moonlight, Black Boys Look Blue.” Every life is unique. We live in different situations, with different reactions, and different support groups. Moonlight taught me that people are not always what they seem. Outside perception is not reality. As much as it is a commentary on the struggles of a gay, black kid in the hood trying to figure it all out, it is a call for love. A love from a parent, mentor, or friend that takes the time to touch the life of another.

1. Arrival- Let my tombstone read: Life is more about the journey than the destination. This is Arrival in all its non-linear transcendence of time. It begs to ask the question: If you could view your life laid out before you, would you change it?  Arrival says to do your future-self a favor, LIVE LIFE NOW like you’d never want it changed.