Life Of Pi (2012)

A young boy (Suraj Sharma) survives a disastrous shipwreck and finds himself alone in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with only a Bengal tiger for a companion. And thus begins a spiritual journey that will eventually let him come to terms with the existence of a supreme being. Based on the popular Yann Martel novel that was deemed unfilmable, director Ang Lee and his screenwriter David Magee frame Pi's story with an older Pi (Irrfan Khan) reflecting back on the events and use the stunning 3D imagery to aid in the film's development. Like Hemingway's OLD MAN AND THE SEA, the majority of the story is between the boy, the tiger and the elements and dialog is at a minimum hence the helpful narration. It's an incisive and eloquent voyage that never becomes tedious despite the long stretches of non verbal activity. The film is laden with CGI but instead of being offputting, it works for the film, giving it the other world quality of a fable. About 15% real tiger and 85% animatronic tiger, you can't tell the difference. Quite easily the most emotionally satisfying film of the year. The fine score is by Mychael Danna. With Gerard Depardieu, Adil Hussain, Tabu and Rafe Spall.