Showing posts with label Life of Pi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life of Pi. Show all posts

04 January 2013

The Life of Pi, A Portrait Painted in Strokes of Desert Spirituality

About once or twice a year I manage to get to the movies.Usually I go with a friend from the parish, another Sister, alone, or occasionally with or my pastor. Most often this happens around Christmastime. The day before yesterday I went to see the Life of Pi with friends (my pastor, another priest friend of his from San Diego, and another parishioner).  Other Sister friends had seen it on Christmas day. They also recommended it.  (It is a compelling movie, both reflective and full of surprising action. I learned yesterday that I actually screamed at one point --- though the person who told me said he did too and I learned last evening that apparently so did at least one other person in our little group! What a crew we made! I was actually unaware of anyone screaming, especially myself, but I know I did jump and grab my neighbor's shoulder at one point!) Needless to say perhaps, it was a completely engrossing movie and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Every once in a while a movie comes along which is worth spending time on and using for lectio. For instance, last year or the year before Tree of Life was out and a Camaldolese monk I know saw it four or five times and used it for lectio for some time. Originally I hated it but within a day or two I had changed my mind on that. I still disliked the tedium I experienced, but it was a tedium that made real sense to me in terms of contemplative prayer and the nature of the spiritual life.

That same year or the year before (I would need to check my journals to be sure) Of Gods and Men came out and that was significant as a source of reflection and prayer for me personally. I especially appreciated the realistic way the monks were portrayed and the accent on monastic stability and intrafaith relations was wonderful, but the story of their struggle to be faithful  even in the face of impending martyrdom was inspiring. The Life of Pi was similarly inspiring;  my own sense is that it is a story of desert spirituality and the struggle with demons that occurs for those journeying or dwelling in the desert (note the similarity of the picture below with that in the post on combatting demons a few weeks ago; also note it mainly takes place on the ocean --- a wilderness or desert reality --- especially for Irish monks and hermits. It is a similar symbol in the New Testament.) The Life of Pi  seems to me to be the story of true versus false selves and the search for God. It is a parable which, like all parables, asks implicitly and (in this case) explicitly too in which story we will choose to reside, which story will be our very own, especially when we are truly brought to the limits of our own resources? And it is a story of epiphanies and illusions and delusions as well.


The cinematography and digital work was astounding. I can't say enough about it. While the Sisters I spoke of saw it in 2D and one spoke very positively of the experience (I have not spoken to the other about it), we saw it the day before yesterday in 3D and I would say it is definitely worth the extra money to do that. If you are a purist that insists on reading the book first, just be sure you are able to see this on the "big screen" before it leaves theaters. While I am sure the DVD will be good, this film is made for 3D and it is wonderful. (I am usually a purist who likes reading the book first, but in this case I am glad I saw the movie and will use the book enhanced with the images from the movie for lectio. I would recommend that too.)

Also, by way of postscript, if you can go with someone who won't mind a scream or two or your grabbing his/her shoulder because of surprise, definitely consider doing that! (Besides, you may need some time to reflect on and process what you have seen first,  you will want to be able to talk about it afterwards.)