National Theatre Live: Life of Pi (2023) Movie Script

(Indistinct audience chatter)
Buenos das, Pi.
Tienes visita.
(Typewriter clacking)
(Typewriter dings)
Es hora de salir.
Venga mijo, sal.
Parecen buena gente.
Um...
(Chuckles)
Mr Patel...
I'm Lulu Chen from the Canadian Embassy
here in Mexico.
I'm sorry we haven't met until now.
I've managed to trace your paperwork
in Winnipeg.
- How are you feeling?
- (He clears his throat)
May I introduce Mr Okamoto
from the Japanese Ministry of Transport.
He'd like to speak to you
about what happened.
Good morning, Mr Patel.
I'm here to talk to you about the sinking
of the ship Tsimtsum.
There's been no news for eight months.
All parties are very anxious
to hear your recollection of events.
I'm compiling the official report
about the tragedy.
- Do you mind if I record our conversation?
- Mm!
Oh!
(Enunciating clearly)
Do you speak English?
Necesita un traductor?
No.
Slo es tmido...
Quieres un dulce, Pi?
Mm... sherbet lemon,
my favourite.
(Pi) Would you like one?
No, but thank you.
Will you join us?
Mm.
- What's the tape for?
- (Okamoto) It's for all concerned parties:
the ministry, the shipping company,
the families of the missing crew,
the businesses that lost cargo.
We're very sorry for your loss,
Mr Patel.
Are you comfortable?
Yes, and you?
Uh, I'm very comfortable,
thank you.
May I begin?
Have you come all the way from Tokyo?
Yes, I arrived yesterday.
Miss Chen took me to see
the lifeboat this morning.
- Did you have a good trip?
- I did, thank you.
I've had a terrible trip.
Yes... I'm so sorry.
February 19th, 1978.
This interview in the Benito Juarez Infirmary,
Tomatlan, Mexico,
is about the sinking
of the ship Tsimtsum.
Could you please state your full name.
Piscine Molitor Patel.
"Piscine"?
Huh! That's an unusual name.
It means "swimming pool" in French.
- Ah.
- You can call me "Pi".
Um, how old are you, Mr Patel,
and where are your family from?
I'm...
- (Okamoto) Hmm?
- (Coughs)
He's seventeen, and his family
were from Pondicherry in India.
Right.
Were they under threat, Pi?
We know there's political unrest in India
at the moment.
Why did they leave?
Why choose Canada?
For a better life, Miss Chen.
I imagine your parents did the same.
Do you have anything to eat?
Oh, um...
I have some cookies.
Can you tell me what happened
the day the ship sank?
Um, was another ship involved?
- An explosion perhaps?
- (Grunts)
Would you speak
for the recording, please?
- Perhaps we should give Pi more time...
- You're here for my story?
- Yes.
- How should I begin? "Once upon a time"?
We're not children, Mr Patel.
We're all children, Mr Okamoto.
The Tsimtsum left Manila eight months ago,
and that was the last time it was seen.
You are the only known survivor.
I need to know what happened.
Are you a religious man, Mr Okamoto?
Um...
No, not really.
Why not?
I will tell you everything...
(Atmospheric music)
...because my story
will make you believe in God.
(String arpeggio, birdsong)
Once upon a time,
I lived in Pondicherry's
botanical gardens, in the zoo.
It was a huge zoo,
spread over acres and acres,
big enough for a train to explore.
Now it's so small...
it fits in my head. (Blows)
(Uplifting music)
- (Bleating)
- (Rani) Buckingham!
(Laughs)
- Buckingham!
- (Pi) Where are you going, Rani?
I was taking Buckingham
to the vet, Piscine,
but he chewed through the rope.
- Did you chew through the rope?
- (Bleating)
You chewed...
- You're no help Piss-Pot.
- Stop it.
Piss, Piss, Pissing Patel.
Stop calling me that.
That's not my name anymore.
What are you on about?
From now on,
I want to be called "Pi".
Like "lemon pie"?
(Chuckles) No.
As in, you know, 3.141...
(Continues indistinctly)
...59265358979.
(Gasps) I see,
because just like an infinite number,
you go on and on and on.
- Ow! Buckingham!
- My older sister, Rani.
A maths genius,
but really annoying.
- Baba...
- Can't chat, Piscine.
Black 'n White's being difficult.
If only I could train him.
- Yah!
- Yah! Ah...
- I've got to sort him out.
- My father built the zoo from scratch.
He'd always dreamt
of being a ringmaster in a circus
but decided that owning a zoo
was the next best thing.
- (Amma) Piscine! Where are you?
- Coming, Amma!
(Rhythmic music)
And my mother looked after all of us.
Orange Juice
is a new mother now, Piscine.
She needs extra minerals in her diet.
- And bananas are full of potassium.
- Ow!
No, darling,
they're for the orangutan.
Oh, tell your father that your uncle
and auntie are coming for tea.
Yah, yah, yah, yah...!
(Uplifting music)
Open the gate, son.
(Shouting indistinctly)
Yah, yah, yah!
- Whoa!
- Baba, Mamaji and Auntie are coming for tea.
Good.
Black 'n White's being stubborn...
Whoa!
...and aggressive, Piscine.
Just like our government.
Things would be less difficult
if he just listened to me.
Yah! Yah! Yah!
Well, today I'm in charge,
Black 'n White, in your pen.
- Yah! Yah!
- (Neighing)
- Yah, Black 'n White, yah!
- Yah, Black 'n White!
- I'm in charge.
- Yah!
(Rhythm playing)
Hi, Auntie!
- Shh!
- What are you doing?
I want a close-up picture of this hyena
for class.
Observation and analysis are key
for understanding the natural world, Piscine.
I had to call my auntie "Mrs Kumar" at school
because she taught me science.
- (Camera shutter clicking)
- (Laughing)
- Oh, my word!
- What is it?
It's a tooth!
Crocuta crocuta can crush
an entire wildebeest with those teeth.
- Don't get too close, Piscine.
- (Screams) Are you all right?
I got the tooth!
Don't tell your father.
I'll get into trouble.
I'm going to show this
to the class, Piscine.
"Pi"!
"Pi Patel"?
I like it. (Laughs)
(Uplifting music)
- Mamaji!
- Ah!
Have you seen your auntie, Piscine?
She keeps wandering off
to look at the animals.
- I'm called "Pi" now, Mamaji.
- What? Why?
It was Mamaji who named me.
But "Piscine"
is a name to be proud of.
Not only is it auspicious,
but it's French.
You were named after
the finest swimming pool in Paris!
The Piscine Molitor.
The water was so clean
you could make your coffee with it.
A pool the gods would swim in.
And he's the one that taught me to swim.
Ah, tomorrow for your swimming lessons
we must work on keeping your body flat
and streamlined.
Not too much thinking.
- Just keep moving forward. Got it?
- Got it.
Good! Ha-ha!
Orange Juice!
(Rhythm playing)
(Uplifting music)
(Orangutan chattering)
As a new mother, Orange Juice,
the last thing you'll be thinking about
is yourself,
but you have to keep your strength up.
That's very important.
And these bananas
will keep you both strong.
- Can I give one, Amma?
- Uh...
(Orangutan chattering)
Hey... ho!
Look, Orange Juice.
From one son to another.
Oh, I almost forgot,
Mamaji and Auntie are here.
(Rhythm playing)
(Uplifting music)
Our life was idyllic,
but the government was in turmoil,
arguing and trying to control everything.
There were riots on the streets.
People were scared for the future.
They stopped coming to our zoo.
But my father never stopped trying.
He thought a Bengal tiger
would bring in new business.
Is the tiger here?
- I'm afraid we don't have very long today.
- Not yet.
A Bengal tiger will be
so good for business, Gita.
- I hope so.
- Mm?
- Have you seen?
- Uh?
We've put goats
in the rhinoceros enclosure.
But... is that safe?
Well, our rhino was lonely,
so I thought the goats might be
good company.
If only our politicians
could learn from your animals.
How d'you mean?
All this fighting in parliament
is causing chaos.
It's just an inability of political parties
to cohabit.
They don't need to like each other.
- They just have to share.
- Exactly.
- The truck's arrived at the main gate.
- What?
- The tiger's coming!
- Whoo! (Laughing)
- Can we go and see him?
- They're driving down here to the enclosure.
We'll have to do the blessing now.
- Why do we always have to do this?
- You know why.
Because it's auspicious.
Is it safe in there?
For a few minutes.
I made the prasad,
but I left it at home.
What's the tiger's name, Baba?
Er... Richard Parker.
- (Laughing)
- Really?
That's what it says on the paperwork.
- Quickly, quickly, Mamaji.
- (Clears throat)
Om namo namah.
May the gods
bless this tiger and this zoo.
And may these challenging times
make us all stronger.
(Chanting)
Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayah
- Richard Parker...
- (Laughing)
Sarve Bhad Rani Pushyantu
Maa Kaschid Dukhabhaag Bhavet
(All)
Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaanti
(Playing single note)
- Really?
- Santosh!
OK, come out now.
You're making me nervous.
And when do the tiger's
Sanskrit classes begin?
- (Amma) Stop it!
- The day you learn to swim.
Oh! Well played, my love!
We live in modern India.
Surely, we can leave
these silly rituals behind.
That was perfect, Mamaji.
Thank you.
- I can't see him.
- Be patient.
I'm so sorry, Gita,
but we really need to leave.
- I have swimming club at three.
- Oh, of course.
Don't you want to see the tiger?
- We'll visit tomorrow.
- We'll see him soon.
- We promise.
- Bye, everyone.
It's taking ages!
- They've opened the crate.
- Huh?
They're putting him in now.
He's groggy from the sedatives.
What's wrong, Santosh?
They found razors
in the elephant's apples again!
Hoi Ram!
Did the elephants eat them?
- No.
- Thank God!
- Where is he, Rani?
- I can't see him.
I tell you, Gita, man is
the most dangerous animal in this zoo.
It's all filtering down from the top.
Don't get yourself into a state.
People think they can get away with anything
because the government's totally corrupt.
They show us that bad behaviour
has no consequences.
- You must calm down, darling.
- I'd teach the Congress Party a thing or two.
They're like lions in a circus ring,
but if we shout louder
and snap our whips,
they'll see who's the dominant lion,
who's the alpha male.
We need order, Gita. Order!
It's gone too far.
- I can't protect us.
- (Amma) I know it's difficult.
(Father)
No, it's not safe here anymore.
There's violence on our streets,
violence in our zoo.
I don't know
how long we can stay here.
(Amma) What do you mean?
This is our home.
I don't want to leave.
(Pi) Richard Parker, come on,
we're waiting to see you.
Piscine!
What are you doing?
- Nothing...!
- (Father) You come here at once!
- Rani did it!
- I didn't do anything!
Piscine,
you have to obey the rules.
I was just trying to get his attention.
And Rani,
you should know better!
- Why is it always my fault?
- Silence, both of you!
- He wouldn't come out, Baba.
- What animal is Richard Parker?
A Royal Bengal tiger, Baba.
And tigers are extremely dangerous.
Do you hear me?
Angelie!
Your father's under a lot of pressure
at the moment.
No, we've been too soft, Gita.
It's time for them to grow up
and face facts.
By protecting them from the truth
we're not keeping them safe.
- They have to understand the dangers.
- They do. I've told them.
We need to show them reality.
- Hey...
- (Pi) Buckingham.
- Buckingham.
- (Bleating)
You see?
- (Bleating)
- Get the net.
- Baba, what are you doing?
- (Bleating continues)
Baba?
Never forget this.
Open the door to the feeding cage.
(Door opens)
(Eerie hum)
Baba... Get Buckingham out,
Baba, please?
- Baba, please, get him out, Baba, please...
- Stay here, it's all right.
- (Rapid rhythm)
- (Tiger growls)
- (Rhythm stops)
- (Bleating)
(Bleating stops)
Why would you do that?
That's horrible.
Why would you let that happen?
I don't understand.
Buckingham never hurt anyone.
Darling, he's just an animal.
- (Pi) I loved him.
- I'm going to my room.
No, you'll stay here.
You think this is a safe place?
The Himalayan bears -
one strike of their claws,
and your innards will be scooped out
and splattered on the ground.
Do you understand?
- (Shouts) Do you understand?
- Yes, Father.
The hyenas have
the strongest jaws in nature.
They'll eat you while you're still alive.
- Do you understand?
- Yes, Father.
The orangutans,
as strong as ten men,
- they'll break your bones like twigs.
- Yes, Father.
The ostrich looks silly, doesn't it?
It's one of the most dangerous animals
in a zoo.
One kick, your back is broken.
- Do you understand?
- Yes, Father.
Don't think any animal is harmless.
Life will defend itself
no matter how small it is.
This world is dangerous.
It's a mistake to be complacent.
Just look at what the government
is doing to us.
Do you understand?
Yes, Father.
Good.
(Sombre music)
We have to keep you safe,
my darlings.
One day,
I hope this will all make sense to you.
(Pi) Are you happy and well-fed now?
Is that why you're purring?
You're a monster.
I wish you'd never come here.
I hate you, Richard Parker.
I hate you!
(Sombre music)
While this is all very interesting,
- I need to return to the question in hand.
- What question was that?
What happened that night
on the Tsimtsum?
I'm getting to that part of the story.
- Yes, but you keep meandering.
- I'm telling you about my family.
I understand.
But I need to know about the ship.
If these are not the answers that you want,
Mr Okamoto,
then you must ask different questions.
- Uh...
- Oh!
Miss Chen, I have come all this way!
Time is not on my side.
- What would you like me to do?
- I don't know.
Should I speak to your superior?
Would he be more helpful?
I think you'll find he's on annual leave,
and I am in charge.
(Sighs)
Pi, I'm sorry.
I know that this is difficult,
and Mr Okamoto is...
He's not used to this kind of interview,
but he does need to know what happened.
- Then he should ask the right questions.
- Yes.
Yes, I agree, but will you come out,
and he can try again?
I have a question for Mr Okamoto.
I'm sure he'd be delighted to answer it.
When I asked earlier if you were religious,
why did you hesitate?
Well, it's a rather personal question.
I was surprised.
Can you answer
now that you're more prepared?
I do not believe in God.
Many of us lose God along life's way.
Oh, I didn't lose God.
I've never been a believer.
Religion is a habit rather than a truth.
A crutch in times of need.
Why do you think that?
(Sighs)
Many years ago, Mr Patel,
my wife was very sick.
Every day,
she asked God to help her.
"Where are you?"
she would cry.
"Are you here?"
God never came.
It wasn't God who saved her.
It was medicine.
- So, you're an atheist.
- Yes.
I respect that.
Atheists are believers
of a different faith.
It's agnostics
that I don't understand.
They don't commit to anything.
Choosing doubt as a philosophy of life
is like choosing immobility
as a mode of transport.
(Chuckling)
I'm sorry to hear about
your wife's illness.
- Is she better now?
- Uh, yes. Thank you.
Mr Patel, can we please get back
to the Tsimtsum?
There is no way back to the Tsimtsum.
You were telling us about your family, Pi.
What were they like?
Were they devout?
That's a very good question,
Miss Chen.
My father was not religious at all,
but Amma prayed enough for both of them.
She prayed even more when, um...
a state of emergency was declared
across the country.
That's when Baba decided
we had to leave.
He found a zoo in Canada
that wanted us and all the animals.
So, every weekend,
we were at the market
to prepare for the journey ahead.
(Uplifting music)
(Indistinct chatter)
There's still so much to do.
I hope your father finds his Gold Flake.
We only have a week
until we leave for Canada.
We're definitely going to need
another suitcase.
That's too many cases, Amma.
- I'll help carry them onto the ship, Amma.
- Ah, such a good boy.
Oh! I almost forgot!
- We need lychees for today!
- I'll get them.
Santosh,
will they have lychees in Canada?
We'll find out.
- Did you get your tobacco?
- Oh, they didn't have Gold Flake.
- Well, don't leave it to the last minute.
- I won't.
Fruit is amazing, Rani.
Here we go.
If you think about the mechanics
of a watermelon...
A watermelon has no mechanics.
Properties, then.
In a hard case is a soft fruit
where black seeds with the potential
to grow hundreds more fruit
wait to be fulfilled.
It's a miracle waiting to happen.
Can we go?
I've got so much packing to do.
Pi!
As-Salaam-Alaikum.
- Wa-Alaikum Salaam.
- (Laughs)
What a pleasant surprise!
- Mrs Patel!
- Hmm?
There's no dates on this stall today.
The government's wrangling
about tax on dates!
What next?
Pi! What a coincidence!
(Chuckling)
Mr Patel,
nice to see you again.
Pi, we are going to miss you at the temple
when you move to Canada.
Hmm.
Namashkar,
Mr and Mrs Patel.
Have you booked your passage
on the ship already?
- We have, Pandit-ji.
- Amma, I'm gonna run home.
- I forgot to pack my books.
- Books?
- Uh, Pi...
- (Pi) Yes?
I trust you'll be joining choir again this Friday
while you can?
- What choir?
- Members of my congregation.
Pi has a beautiful voice.
(Laughs awkwardly)
- Lychees! I forgot the lychees.
- No, stay here a bit.
Sorry, Father,
but Pi will be at mosque on Friday.
- Mosque?
- His knowledge of the Holy Quran is excellent.
- So reassuring.
- Why are you going to mosque, Piscine?
Baba, shall we go home?
Rani has to pack, no?
No, I'm fine here.
I think you both have your wires twisted.
Pi will be at temple as usual on Friday.
- Are you going to temple, Piscine?
- You could join him this week, Santosh.
I'm not sure I can make it, Pandit-ji.
I'm sorry to disappoint you,
but Pi will be at mass this Friday.
No, Pi will be at mosque!
I understand -
in these troubling times,
it's important to boost numbers
while attendance is poor.
But Pi will be at temple.
"Boosting numbers"?
The mosque is bursting
with true devotees, thank you.
If you say so.
At least we don't compensate by stuffing
the prayer hall with too many gods.
(Gasping)
No, your prayer halls are already stuffed
with too many wives.
- Oh!
- (Laughter)
I don't know why you're laughing.
Indigestion.
Hammering your god to a cross
isn't exactly a civilised way
to treat a prophet, is it, Pi?
- Hmm?
- Jesus died for us all, Pi,
and yet he lives!
I don't understand how that works.
It's a miracle.
You don't even have miracles
in your religion.
We have the miracle of existence.
Birds flying, rain falling,
crops growing.
- We all have that.
- We have one glorious god!
And with only one god
you still can't agree on anything!
Oh! Says the petty upholder
of the caste system.
- Oh!
- It is very impious to divide people like that.
Not as impious
as eating the flesh of your god.
Well, at least we don't worship cows.
No, you just drink blood!
- How dare you belittle the sacrament?
- (Clamouring)
Ladies and gentlemen, please!
We still have freedom of practice
in our beloved country.
Practice! Singular!
Mr Patel, Pi can't be Hindu
if he believes in this new-fangled religion
instead of our original one.
Mrs Patel, Pi can't be Muslim if he believes
in hundreds of gods and not just one.
Mr and Mrs Patel,
Pi can't be a Christian
if he prays to idols.
Piscine?
Well, they're right.
You have to choose one.
Which one do you choose?
I've been thinking... a lot about death.
It doesn't matter whether Buckingham
went to heaven,
the afterlife or was reincarnated.
They're all versions of the same thing.
You're just asking me
to pick the better story.
Why do I have to choose?
- (All gasping)
- We'll talk to him.
Darling, you have to choose one.
That's just the way things are.
You're already Hindu,
why not stick with that?
Mamaji has two passports.
- He's Indian and French.
- Good point.
That's completely different.
France and India are nations on earth.
So, how many nations are there
in the sky?
Do you know... there's so much to do
with packing and leaving.
These things can wait.
Let's get back home before the curfew.
And let's focus on getting to Canada.
(Chanting in native language)
(Rhythmic music)
Where are the animals, Baba?
They're unloading them on the dock now.
Hey!
(Continues in Chinese)
Cargo arrived.
- Where's Amma?
- She's unpacking everything in our cabins.
Making home away from home.
This ship is so big.
I feel like we'll get lost in it.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- (Animal noises)
(Speaking Chinese)
Be careful!
That's a hyena in there.
Steady!
(Speaking Chinese)
This way. This way.
Careful! They're nervous.
- They only laugh when they're nervous.
- OK, OK.
- Aha!
- (Pi) Mamaji!
(Laughing)
- We couldn't let you leave without this.
- You never give up!
I tried to tell him.
When you get to Canada, Santosh,
learn to swim.
- It's good to see you both.
- We had to come.
Could you glide Orange Juice, please?
She hates sudden movement.
(Speaks Chinese)
Careful!
The baby looks scared, Baba.
He'll be all right
when they stop moving.
Check the lock is secure, Piscine.
- You're here!
- (Laughing)
How are your cabins?
About the same size
as the animals' quarters.
Buried at the bottom of the ship.
And the ship keeps going
down, down, down.
It has corridors of steel,
and it makes strange creaking noises.
(Indistinct chattering)
- (Tiger growling)
- (All screaming)
Richard Parker
doesn't sound happy, Baba.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...
- (Growling)
I'll, uh... sedate him again.
He'll sleep it off.
Cats get very seasick.
(Speaking Chinese)
Calm, calm, calm!
Whoa!
Whoa, whoa, whoa...
- Will the animals be all right?
- I hope so.
Auntie! Auntie, you can hear the water
from our cabin.
- Do you want to come and see?
- I don't think there's time.
I wish you were coming with us.
It's not safe to stay here.
It's different for you.
You have children.
Be careful.
We will be.
You'll visit at least?
When you're settled.
- Rani!
- Mm?
You give the University of Toronto
everything you've got.
You got top of the class
in your final exams.
Your understanding of mathematics
is pure instinct.
- You have a talent.
- Thank you, Auntie.
I see you building bridges.
No pressure.
One bridge will do.
- I'm just trying to set goals.
- Of course, my love.
- Pi...
- Yes, Mamaji?
You are such a good swimmer now!
You must keep up the good practice.
For your next challenge
you must conquer open water.
What does that mean?
The sea.
- Hoi Ram!
- Uh, the.... The pool is good enough.
Oh, think big, Santosh.
Remember, Pi -
body flat and streamlined.
Stretch your hands
as far as they will reach out
and just keep moving forward.
You could join him with your rubber ring,
my friend.
(Laughs) Very funny!
We will miss you all terribly.
(Ship's horn blares)
- We'd better go my love.
- Or they'll make us walk the plank.
Davai! Davai, davai!
Safe travels everyone.
Durga! Durga!
Bye, Mamaji!
- Bye!
- Bye-bye!
- Goodbye, India!
- Don't forget us!
- Santosh, did you get Gold Flake?
- No.
But I asked you specifically!
- Bye!
- They'll have tobacco in Canada, Gita.
And anyway, you don't smoke.
Yes, but will they have Gold Flake?
Will they have Arun ice cream?
Are the televisions Onidas?
Are the cars Ambassadors?
- I can still see them.
- It's going to be all right.
- How do you know?
- Because we're together.
They've gone, and I'm hungry.
- You're always hungry.
- (Amma) Of course you are.
Excuse me, could you help us?
(Speaking Russian)
- (Father) What the...
- Uh!
We'll find the dining room.
- Excuse me, could you help us?
- Hey! Hey, now! Anchor up!
Not very friendly, are they?
- Oh, excuse me.
- Quoi?
Where is the restaurant?
Uh, cafeteria perhaps?
(Enunciating clearly)
Uh, do you speak English?
We...
need... (Chuckles)
food.
You think I am an idiot?
Oh! You speak English!
Do you have a menu we could look at?
- Menu?
- Mm.
la carte or set?
Perhaps you would like
to select your table
overlooking the gardens
before you choose your cut of meat?
No, no, that won't be necessary.
- Buf bourguignon?
- We don't eat beef.
- Saucisse de Strasbourg?
- Did he say sausages?
- Confit of duck!
- You must have other choices.
Oh...
Chicken la Bretonne!
- Do you have anything vegetarian?
- Horse feet!
- Stop it!
- Oh!
Sorry to shout.
I just wondered if you had any...
- Baba!
- ...vegetables.
Merde!
What a shithole this is.
Full of idiots!
My talents are wasted!
I am not waiter.
I do not take orders.
I cook, you eat.
Six o'clock.
No choice.
Are you all right?
- They don't have anything vegetarian.
- Oh, there must be something.
What are we gonna eat?
Oh! Orange Juice has bananas.
- We can't eat bananas for four weeks.
- Oh!
Oh, you laughed at me this morning
when I told you, Santosh.
- I know.
- Didn't I tell you?
- You did.
- What did you tell him?
I brought the tiffin!
- It's full of rice and dhal.
- (Laughing)
- I love you, Amma.
- When am I going to learn?
- You're always right!
- Right!
Come on, everyone.
Down to our cabin.
You coming?
In a minute.
(Gentle music)
- (Rani) Three flights down and left.
- Got it.
Canada... we're coming!
Are you ready for us?
Pi Patel is coming!
And just so you know,
I am a vegetarian!
- (Ship's horn blares)
- (Waves lapping)
(Rhythmic music)
- Zoo...
- Zoo...
(Indistinct chatter)
(Speaking Russian)
(Roars)
Um... tiger, tiger.
Rrrrrr... Tiger!
(Growls) Tiger!
- Ah! "Tee-gre".
- Ah!
So, the hunter
who caught the tiger
was called Richard Parker.
Hunter...
Oh, hun... hunter.
Hunter!
Hunter! Hunter!
- (Imitates gunfire) Hunter.
- Ah! (Speaks Russian)
Hunter who caught the "tee-gre"
was called Richard Parker.
But then the shipping clerk
mixed up the name, so that the...
- Shipping cl...
- "Shipping"?
Shipping clerk...
Shipping clerk! Shipping clerk!
Shipping clerk! Shipping clerk...
mixed up the names, and then the tiger
was called Richard Parker.
- Ah!
- Richard Parker.
(Speaking Russian)
(Speaking Russian)
Ah! (Laughs)
(Repeats Russian phrase)
(Cheering)
(Rumbling, clattering)
Storm coming!
(Speaks Chinese) Work!
Storm!
What are you doing up here,
Swami Jesus?
- I couldn't sleep.
- Huh?
I thought you might've gone on hajj.
(Gasps)
Or to Rome for your coronation,
Pope Pi-us?
- Stop it!
- (She giggles)
You could get the end of your pecker cut off
and become a Jew.
Rani!
If you go temple Thursday, mosque Friday,
synagogue Saturday and church Sunday,
you only need three more religions
to be on holiday for the rest of your life.
- Why are you both up?
- Couldn't sleep.
- And you?
- There's water on the cabin floor.
Just an inch,
nothing to worry about.
- We thought we should let someone know.
- (Rumbling)
- (Rumbling)
- What was that?
- There's water on the cabin floor.
- Maybe they can't hear you.
Well, I'm sure it's natural
for water to seep in a little.
- (Rumbling)
- I'll tell one of the crew.
- (Shouting)
- (Rani) Oh, my God!
- (Pi) Baba!
- (Amma) Orange Juice?
(Rani) Baba!
- How did she get free?
- They didn't secure her properly.
- They didn't listen.
- (Pi) Where's the baby?
I can't see him. Oh, no wonder
she's anxious, poor thing.
Stay back, Gita.
Come on now, Orange Juice.
Let's get you back safe.
- (Amma) Be careful, Santosh.
- I will. Come on now, girl...
- (Rumbling)
- It's me...
- (Pi) Oh, my God! Baba!
- (Father) Whoa!
(Amma)
How did he get out of his crate?
(Father) Everyone, stay back.
(Shouting)
- (Rumbling)
- (Water lapping)
Rani!
(Dramatic music)
(Animal noises)
I have to get the gun.
- (Amma) Oh, God.
- (Rani) I'll go with you.
- (Rumbling)
- No!
(Water lapping)
- He might need help.
- All right, you can come.
The gun's in the storeroom.
- (Rumbling)
- (Shouting)
Piscine,
stay with your mother.
- Go back down to the cabin, Gita.
- Be careful.
- We'll be fine, darling.
- Come on, Piscine. Let's go back downstairs.
(Indistinct shouting)
- There's water on the deck, Piscine.
- Somebody's opened all the crates, Amma.
- (Amma) Who would do that?
- I don't know!
(Amma) Oh, my goodness!
- (Indistinct shouting)
- (Dramatic music)
(Shouting continues)
(Shouting intensifies)
(Music intensifies)
- (Shouting stops)
- (Music stops)
(Atmospheric
piano and string music)
- (Miss Chen, echoing) Pi!
- (Pi coughing)
Pi, you're in hospital,
can you hear me?
Pi, you're all right.
There's nothing to be frightened of.
But there is, Miss Chen.
(Sobbing)
It's at your weakest point
that fear attacks you.
Fear disguised as doubt
crept into my mind.
"No one is thinking of you, Pi.
You're not important."
I tried to silence her.
"This isn't happening, it isn't real,"
but fear grew stronger.
I fought her with reason.
"Stay calm, Pi, stay visible,
and they will find you."
But fear crushed reason
and broke me, Miss Chen.
She filled my body with terror -
my... my lungs, g... guts, tongue,
ears, muscles, knees,
heart pounding, sphincter releasing.
Everything surrenders to fear.
- And then... And then...
- Hey! Hey, hey, hey... Shh!
Shh, it's all right, Pi.
It's all right.
Death envies life
because life is so beautiful.
But you are safe now.
Look around you.
You are here in hospital.
Hey! There is
no one here but us.
Pi...
Pi, you are completely safe.
Mr Patel, may we return to the question
of what happened that night?
Could I have a word, please,
Mr Okamoto?
This boy is obviously distressed.
We need to stop.
This case will close in three days.
The insurance claim must be concluded.
Everyone is waiting for my report.
I'm suggesting care and consideration.
I was led to understand
the Canadian Embassy would assist me
in this matter, Miss Chen.
And we have, Mr Okamoto.
I have to catch a plane tonight.
Look, I understand that,
but as Consular Officer
my priority is to protect this boy.
I am just asking questions.
Nothing more.
I need the facts.
And we must acknowledge the fact
that five days ago, when he was brought here,
he was close to death!
We're all closer than we think,
Miss Chen.
(Okamoto) Did you hear a distress signal
as the ship sank?
- Was there a fire of any kind?
- Mr Okamoto, I must insist...
If you could give me
some indication of events that night...
- (Sinister music)
- (Waves lapping)
- (Thunderclap)
- (Music stops)
Amma! Amma!
Oh, Black 'n White!
You've broken your leg.
(Neighing)
Vishnu, preserve us!
Allah, protect us!
Christ, save us!
Amma?
Baba?
Rani?
- (Neighing)
- Rani?
Where are you?
Can you hear me?
Swim!
Make your body flat and streamlined.
Stretch your hands
as far as they will reach out,
and just keep moving forward.
You can do it.
I know you can.
Swim... Kick...
Catch hold, Rani!
Rani, catch hold! I've got you!
Oh, my God!
(Dramatic chord)
Yah!
You can't come on here,
Richard Parker!
(Dramatic music)
I don't want you here!
Get away!
Get away!
Let go, Richard Parker!
Get away!
I don't want you here!
(Music intensifies)
Get away!
(Music stops)
Jesus, Mary, Mohammed, Vishnu...
help me!
Oh, God! Help me, please!
(Mysterious music)
Amma?
(Neighing)
Black 'n White, you're gonna be...
Oh! I'm sorry! Sorry!
Shh!
(Neighing)
Help will come, Black 'n White,
and they'll fix your leg.
We'll be rescued soon.
Everything is going to be fine.
You mustn't worry.
Hey, look, look, look, look.
Another survivor!
Ooh!
There's bound to be more of us.
We just have to wait.
We can be an unusual cohabitation
that Auntie will want to hear all about.
- (Hyena barking, Black 'n White neighing)
- You!
You made it?
- (Barking, growling)
- No!
Can we share this boat?
Can that work, huh?
If I stay here,
and we just stay calm...
What do you say?
Am I next?
(Barks)
(Hyena laughing)
(Woman singing)
(Pi sobbing) Oh!
Oh, blessed Jesus!
It's Amma!
Thank you. Thank you.
I knew you'd be alive.
I knew it.
And I could feel it in here.
It's a miracle.
How I love you.
How I've missed you.
(Waves lapping)
Orange Juice?
It's Orange Juice, and you're alive!
Come, Orange Juice.
Come, come. Come, come...
(Mumbles indistinctly)
(Gasps) Ooh!
- Banana split!
- (Animal noises)
(Chuckles)
Hey, you!
It's motion sickness,
Orange Juice. It'll pass.
We'll be rescued at any moment.
Baba will be on another ship
looking for us.
Everything... Hey!
Everything is going to be fine.
(Peaceful music)
(Grunting)
Hello, Mr Turtle.
Can you tell someone
that I'm here?
We're four days out of Manila,
and Pi Patel is my name.
(Animal noises)
(Hyena laughing)
(Barking)
(Chattering)
What are you doing?
What are you d...?
Hey, what are you doing?
Put it back!
Stop it!
You're making the boat tip.
- (Animal noises)
- What are you doing?
Hey!
(Animal noises intensifying)
You leave him alone!
Hey!
Stop it, you...!
Leave him alone!
Stop it! You leave...
Be careful, Orange Juice.
Don't get too close.
He's dangerous.
Please, stop it!
Leave him alone!
He's a living creature, please stop it!
Leave him alone.
Please, please!
Please don't... Please stop it!
(Animal noises)
Orange Juice, you're so brave.
I didn't know you were so brave.
Thump him, Orange Juice.
Throw him overboard.
You can do it.
Thump him!
Oh, God.
You dog!
(Growling)
Why are you looking at me like that?
Is it me next?
Is that what you think?
You're gonna wait till I'm asleep
and take me in the middle of the night?
- (Barks)
- Eat me half in half out like Black 'n White?
No!
No!
I won't let you.
That's not how this ends.
I'll fight you to the death!
Come on,
you filthy crocuta crocuta!
Come on, you ugly dog!
Come on! Come on!
(Dramatic music)
(Shouting indistinctly)
Come on! Come on!
(Music intensifying)
(Rhythmic beats)
Come on!
Come on!
Why are you backing away?
Are you afraid? Huh?
Well, you should be.
Baba was right -
man is the most dangerous animal.
(Music stops
after dramatic crescendo)
(Roars)
(Applause)
(Typewriter clacking)
(Indian music)
You're saying you were on a lifeboat
for 227 days
with an orangutan
who arrived on a raft of bananas,
a zebra with a broken leg,
a hyena who ate the zebra,
then beheaded the monkey,
and a Bengal tiger who ate the hyena
but not you?
Orangutans are apes, not monkeys,
but otherwise that's right.
(Chuckles)
How is that possible?
I admit it is unexpected.
This story you're telling us
is, uh... incredible.
- I agree.
- Have you seen a psychiatrist, Mr Patel?
What Mr Okamoto is trying to say
is that he is concerned for you, Pi.
Are you talking to anyone?
I'd say that was obvious.
I mean counselling.
It can be very helpful.
- I've had some myself...
- Oh, why?
- It was a difficult time, and...
- Uh, if I could get back to the point!
I don't believe your story, Mr Patel.
It's unbelievable.
- What is?
- Everything.
- The ship did sink.
- No, I mean the rest.
What do you mean?
Be specific.
Well, um...
Bananas don't float.
They're too heavy.
- No, they're not.
- They are.
- I'll prove it.
- No, that's not necessary.
Fill that sink, drop these bananas in,
and we'll see who's right.
- I'd like to move on.
- I insist.
- Thank you.
- My pleasure.
- Mr Patel, all I want...
- Would you like to sit down, Mr Okamoto?
I'm perfectly fine.
Being on your feet is exhausting.
You use up a lot of energy
but don't realise it.
- I simply want to get to the bottom of...
- You should sit down.
(Sighs)
Is the sink full?
Uh, not yet.
Putting your feet up stops swelling
and helps the heart reach all areas.
The sink's full.
- Are the bananas in yet?
- They are in.
- And?
- Are they floating?
They're floating.
They... They're floating?
They are floating!
It would take a lot of bananas
to hold up an orangutan.
It did.
It weighed close to a tonne.
I had no idea bananas can float.
- Could I have my bananas back, please?
- They really do float.
Now do you believe me,
Mr Okamoto?
Give him his bananas.
Thank you.
(Grunting)
- Have you lost something, Pi?
- Huh?
(Waves lapping)
Yeah, there must be some here,
some...
- Some what?
- Some food.
- I need food.
- There's food in your box.
And water.
There must be water somewhere.
- Shall I get you some?
- Where will you get it from?
The tap.
- (Waves lapping)
- (Atmospheric strings playing)
(Mysterious music)
This is mine, Richard Parker.
And I'm not leaving without it.
(Rapid rhythm)
(Rhythm stops)
(Grunts)
Jesus, Mary, Joseph!
Woo-hoo-hoo!
Too fast for you, Richard Parker.
Too fast. Ha-ha!
Allah be praised - water.
You are a genius, Piscine.
Genius!
"Distilled water, compliments of HP Foods,
Great Britain."
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Allah.
How do I open it?
How do I open it?
Tin opener...
Tin opener...
(Mumbles indistinctly)
Tin opener...
(Gentle music)
(Grunting in desperation)
Stop it, Pi. Patience.
(Pi) But I can't open it.
Don't get emotional.
What do you need?
A tin opener.
Which you don't have.
So?
Observation and analysis!
Something sharp.
Something... Something sharp.
Something sharp, something sharp,
something...
It's not coming out.
We did this in class.
- Make another hole opposite.
- Yes.
The second hole allows the air to come in,
so that the water can...
...flow!
I'm drunk, Auntie!
(Laughs)
But to be drunk on water
is noble and ecstatic, isn't it?
Oh-ho, Larson's Biscuits.
Wheat flour, malt,
vitamins and glucose.
No animal fat.
Glucose keeps the body
in working order
and is the most important source of energy
in all organisms.
Wait, Piscine.
Don't eat without thinking.
Calculate what you have
and how long it will last.
- Rani was the mathematician.
- Do it.
We got eighteen packets
of fortified biscuits.
- How many in each pack?
- Six.
So, how many in all?
- Ninety.
- No.
- Hundred.
- Stop guessing! Do the maths!
- I can't.
- Ugh!
If you'd paid more attention in class...
A hundred and eight?
Good, Pi.
You see what you can do if you try?
So, if you eat three a day...?
Thirty-six!
Thirty-six days.
So...
Now we know where we are.
You can have one more.
- Just one?
- Just one. (Laughs)
Norwegian cuisine
is the best in the world, Auntie!
Use logic and maths, Pi.
Use everything you have...
and defy the odds.
What about him, Auntie?
I can't stay here. This isn't safe.
I need to get on that boat.
How do I get on that... boat?
Logic and maths, Pi.
Analysis.
What do you have?
You have food and water for 36 days,
and he has...
...nothing.
(Sings) Nothing!
(Whistles)
I'm gonna wait for you to die first...
...and defy the odds!
(Sombre music)
(Music becomes more lively)
(Typewriter clacking)
(Waves lapping)
(Music stops)
How are you still alive,
Richard Parker?
Analysis, Pi.
You have...
...four packets of biscuits,
one tin of water,
ten umbrellas,
a home-made knife,
and...
..."Survival At Sea".
(Slow military march)
- Attention!
- (Music stops)
That book was reissued several times
because of my clear, succinct,
and practical approach.
It didn't sell,
but public taste is not always
evidence of quality.
Commander Grant-Jones.
Follow instructions carefully.
- Do not drink urine...
- I need drinking water.
...or sea water or bird blood.
- Never do that!
- You can survive up to seven days
- without fresh water.
- Seven days?
- Turtle blood is a good, salt-free drink...
- I'm not drinking blood!
...and their eggs are a real treat.
And if you, uh...
I just need water!
- Rain catcher.
- So, that's what they are.
A means of collecting and funnelling rainwater
into a suitable container beneath.
Rainwater is safe to drink,
but always check for foreign bodies
that may have climbed or fallen in.
- Durga! Durga!
- Yes, very good.
And, uh... just a suggestion,
but you'd be better off on that boat.
This is really not a sea-worthy vessel.
Mm.
But there's a tiger on that boat.
And remember,
latitude can be measured with the fingers.
What should I do about the tiger?
Keep occupied.
The idle mind may sink.
Community singing can lift the spirits.
You're not listening to me!
I'm giving instructions.
That's my job.
Look!
Good lord!
Bengal tiger, bit of a problem.
That's a tricky one.
What's your plan, soldier?
I'm going to wait it out.
I've got water now and some food. See...
He's got nothing.
I'm gonna wait for him to die first.
Smart thinking.
Worth a go.
Jolly good show, old boy.
Don't forget
to check your water regularly.
Yarn spinning can be a good way
to pass the time.
If you have the will to live,
you will.
- (Eerie music)
- (Rain pattering)
(Thunder rumbling)
(Water lapping)
(Music intensifies)
You can't come on here.
Get away, Richard Parker!
You can't come on here.
You can't come on here!
Get away!
I don't want you here!
You have food.
And you can drink seawater.
I'm going to die first...
...unless I get on that boat.
(String arpeggio)
- Piscine?
- Oh, God!
- What can you hear?
- I'm losing my marbles.
- Listen, Piscine.
- It's all right, Pi.
Hunger makes you mad.
It's prusten.
- (Tiger puffing)
- It's that purring noise again.
Tigers make many sounds, Piscine.
A full-throated "ahoonh"
during the mating season.
A threatening growl when they charge.
Prusten is the quietest of calls,
a puff through the nose to express
friendliness and harmless intentions.
- You said tigers are dangerous.
- Yes, I know.
He ate Buckingham.
- Yes, but...
- How is he suddenly harmless?
He's not.
But he's had a meal.
That fish made him calm and sleepy.
It's a window of possibility, son.
- A window?
- A small window.
Tame him while he's happy,
Piscine, and cohabit.
How am I supposed to do that?
Why does a circus trainer shout
and snap his whip in the ring?
To establish dominance
and create order.
Exactly.
Yah... Black 'n White.
Yah... Richard Parker!
Let the trumpets blare,
let the drum roll sound,
let the greatest show on earth begin!
- (Dramatic chords)
- Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
prepare to be amazed!
It is my pleasure to present to you...
- (Dramatic chords)
- It is my pleasure to present to...
Oh, come on! Piscine!
You can do it.
- The Pi Patel, Indo-Canadian...
- (Dramatic chords)
- ...Trans-Pacific, Floating Circus!
- Yes!
Get on the boat, son.
I'm in charge, Richard Parker.
By Allah! I am in charge.
- Whoa-whoa-whoa...
- Ya-hoo...!
Use the whistle.
Intimidate him.
Establish your territory.
Baba, I can't do this.
Get back on the boat.
Provoke him.
A consistent noise signals aggression.
- Baba, please, I can't do this.
- It's your only chance.
This is my boat, Richard Parker.
This deck is mine.
You get back! Get under there!
- Don't break eye contact!
- (Dramatic music)
- Blow the whistle.
- (Blows whistle)
Oh!
Baba! Baba!
(Father) Piscine!
Where are you?
Over here!
Big cats get seasick.
Rock the boat.
(Growling)
- Yah!
- (Water splashing)
- Yah!
- Take the upper hand.
You're the alpha male.
(Blows whistle)
Use what you have.
You're Richard Parker!
I am the alpha!
Are you feeling sick? Huh?
I'll make you sicker.
(Blows whistle)
(Music intensifies)
Argh! Argh!
(Blows whistle)
This...
is my boat!
(Music stops)
(Applause)
Please, Mr Patel! Calm down!
Watch out.
- Hello! Nurse? We need help here!
- (Okamoto) Is she coming?
(Miss Chen) Hello?
- This is my boat!
- He just started shouting.
(Shouting indistinctly)
Amma?
Amma! I did it, Amma!
I won!
God is with me.
- Tell Baba that God is with me.
- Ven y sintate, Pi.
Todo est bien, hijo.
Descansa.
Tranquilo.
- (Shouts) This is my boat!
- No pasa nada.
Te voy a dar un medicamento
- para que te sientas mejor, s?
- This is my boat!
I'm sorry, what's that?
- Qu es esto, enfermera?
- Un sedante.
- It's a sedative.
- She mustn't put him to sleep.
- I need his testimony.
- (Miss Chen) He's clearly very distressed.
Please, Miss Chen.
This is important.
Pide que al seor Patel no se le duerma.
Quiere terminar su entrevista.
Simplemente te calmar.
I have to leave soon.
If he falls asleep, I won't get what I need.
- She said it will simply calm him down.
- (Pi shouting indistinctly)
Ow!
Ow!
(Eerie hum)
Are you feeling better now,
Mr Patel?
May we continue?
This is a Hindu boat.
The tarpaulin,
my life jacket, the lifebuoy,
the five oars, the six oarlocks,
the plastic whistles,
they're all orange.
Orange is a Hindu colour.
Orange is the standard colour
for survival.
Have you noticed...
the heavens are miraculous?
(Breathes heavily)
I'm sorry. I'm so... Oh, my!
(Blows whistle)
(Growling)
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
(Indistinct muttering)
Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye...
- Oh, blessed Lord Vishnu!
- (Atmospheric music)
You saved the world
by taking the form of a fish...
...and now you save me.
Thank you.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Richard Parker!
(Blows whistle)
Ooh!
This seaweed is delicious.
A delight to dine with you,
Richard Parker.
I'll tell you a secret.
You scare me,
but when I'm with you,
I feel better.
(Chuckles)
It's so beautiful out here.
Listen!
Can you hear me?
We are still alive, and all is well.
This is God's food.
God's clothing!
God's cat!
God's ark!
These are God's wide acres!
This is all God's creation!
- Whoo!
- (Ship's horn blares)
(Waves lapping)
Is that a ship?
Richard Parker,
at last a ship!
- We're saved!
- (Ship's horn blares)
Oh...
People...
Hello!
It's a cargo ship, Richard Parker.
Over here!
Down here!
I'm here!
Please look down.
Hello!
I'm here!
I'm here! Please look down, I'm here!
Look! Look!
- (Thunderclap)
- I'm here!
I'm here!
(Thunderclap)
(Shouting indistinctly)
I'm here...!
Why are you testing me?
(Continues shouting)
(Typewriter clacking)
(Grunting)
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Richard Parker,
you can't do that there!
(Distant singing)
This is my boat,
my territory, and...
(Tiger growling faintly)
- (Growling intensifies)
- No!
Just food, isn't it?
It's re-processed food.
(Audience groaning)
(Water splashes)
- Oh, God help me.
- (Wistful music)
Someone, please help me.
(Coughs)
Hello, Mr Turtle.
How are you today?
Have you had
something delicious to eat?
Hmm?
Tell me every detail of your meal.
(Blows whistle)
How old are you, sir?
Fifty?
A hundred?
I may look like an old man,
but I'm...
How old am I?
Am I still seventeen?
Turtles make an excellent meal.
Their blood is nutritious and salt-free.
No!
Seize every opportunity.
Lay it on its back
and insert the knife.
It's a living creature.
You've been on the water
for a hundred and thirty-seven days.
- It's a miracle you're still alive.
- Yes.
A turtle is a restaurant on legs.
There are seven different types of meat
within the one carcass.
I'm Hindu.
I've never eaten meat in my life.
If you don't grab it now,
you will die.
- It's frightened.
- Of course it is. It's under attack.
Fight harder.
I'm sorry I have to do this.
Forgive me.
- Forgive us our trespasses.
- Flip it on its back!
(Straining)
Oh, clever turtle.
Protecting itself.
Now, sever the arteries
and the veins in the neck.
I can't do this, I can't do this...
It's survival of the fittest.
The world is one long chain
of food, Pi.
In the end, it's eat or be eaten.
Which do you choose?
- I can't do this. Please, don't...
- Kill him!
- Please don't...
- Kill him now!
Oh, Kali, help me!
(Wheezing)
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Drink it.
(Slurping)
(Coughing)
It's Amma's cool mango lassi.
That's what it is.
(Contemplative music)
Keep everything.
Everything has a use.
The shell can be a bowl,
shelter, protection.
The meat is dinner, breakfast, lunch.
(Growling)
Never forget,
above all you are a gentleman.
Civilisation is the only thing
that separates man from beast.
Remember,
the definition of a gentleman
is he who uses a butter knife
even when dining alone.
You've been vegetarian
all your life, Piscine.
You got no life left, Rani.
No animal ever passed your lips.
I had no choice.
You've always talked about
the sanctity of life.
I know.
How can you still be Hindu
if you eat meat?
I'm just so hungry.
I told you, faith is impossible
in the real world.
I still have faith.
- I still believe.
- How can you?
Look where you are.
Look at this.
We're at the bottom of the sea.
What God would do this?
And if he does exist,
I wouldn't want anything to do with him.
Rani... Rani!
Rani, is it today?
I'm losing track,
I count the days,
but I keep forgetting...
is it today?
Amma!
Oh, Amma!
How I miss you.
My baby boy.
Amma?
Amma...
Amma, is it today?
Yes.
Shall I sing for you as usual?
That would be just lovely.
- Amma, is Baba with you?
- (Laughter)
Always.
Happy birthday to you
(All) Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear Amma
Happy birthday to...
(Whooshing)
(Typewriter clacking)
I can't see anything,
Richard Parker.
- Can you?
- (Waves lapping)
Hello?
Is anybody there?
(Waves getting louder)
Did you feel that, Richard Parker?
Yes!
I did.
Oh, my God!
You can speak?
Why didn't you say anything till now?
I was... shy.
- I have so many questions.
- (Growls) Me too!
What would you eat
if you could have anything?
That's easy.
I'd have black gram dhal,
spicy tamarind sambar
and mixed vegetable sagu.
Vegetable korma, potato masala,
cabbage vada, masala dosa,
- stuffed eggplant poriyal...
- I see.
...coconut chutney, mint chutney,
green chili pickles,
naans, popadoms, parathas,
mountains of rice...
I would have...
- ...almond payasam, jaggery pancake.
- ...buf bourguignon!
Tripe and calf's brains
in a brown butter jus!
M'wah!
Roast suckling pig!
Veal kidney!
Saucisse de Strasbourg!
Marinated rabbit in red wine!
Oh, my goodness.
Horse feet!
Sweetbread braised
in a mushroom sauce!
You're making me feel sick.
Mm! Brain souffl.
Confit of duck.
Frogs!
Is there anything you won't eat?
(Gasps) I eat everything!
Bleeding raw beef!
The congealed blood of a dead pig!
May I ask you something?
Mais oui.
Have you ever eaten a human being?
Um...
Yes.
Two of them.
A man and a woman.
Why did you eat them?
(Growls)
Need!
Why do you have a French accent
when you were born in Bangladesh?
Do you have any food?
No... but I have a story.
Ugh!
Words...
they have no calories.
Seek food where food is to be found.
Ah... true.
Tell me, then.
Once upon a time
there was a banana.
It grew till it was firm, yellow,
and fragrant.
It fell to the ground,
someone found it, ate it,
and that person felt good.
What a beautiful story!
(Chuckles)
It takes the breath away!
Do you have a banana?
- No.
- (Growling)
(Chuckles)
Come, my brother.
Let us be together...
...and feast
on each other's company.
You're not Richard Parker.
Who is Richard Parker?
- (Snarls)
- Move!
No, no, no, no, no! Ooh...!
Oh!
(Screams)
Let me go!
- (Dramatic music, rhythmic beats)
- Let me go! Please let me go!
(Grunting)
(Music and rhythmic beats stop)
(Roars)
Richard Parker?
Are you still alive?
Richard Parker...
Where's... Where's the man?
Did you kill him?
Richard Parker...
Richard Pa...
(Breathes heavily)
Shh!
(Sobs)
How I wanted to stroke you at the zoo.
Baba would've been furious.
And now, my dear friend,
here we are.
I love you more than anything.
You're the only reason I'm alive.
I believe in you, Richard Parker.
It's just you and me.
(Waves lapping)
The rocking's stopped.
We're not moving.
Are we dead, Richard Parker?
Land!
Firm, solid, rooted land!
Allah be praised!
I smell water.
I crawl to a lake,
and I drink, and I drink...
...and suddenly I can see again!
It's an island!
So green and lush.
We are in paradise.
Hello?
Is anybody there?
A babble of voices answer me.
Meerkats, thousands of them.
I have company!
Richard Parker runs inland,
but I'm feeling so drowsy
I'm falling asleep in the boat.
I watch as the meerkats climb up
to sleep in the trees.
Pi, I think that...
A few nights later,
I saw something bobbing in the lake.
It looked like a dead shark.
It dissolved in the water.
I thought I might've dreamt it.
And then, wonder of wonders,
I found fruit -
fragrant, juicy, ripe fruit,
on top of a tall tree.
I clambered up, plucked that fruit,
and took an enormous bite -
best thing I've ever tasted,
dripping down my chin,
sticky and sweet.
And then I felt something hard inside.
When I took it out of my mouth,
I found that it was a human tooth.
I ripped open another fruit,
and there was a molar in it,
- and then in another, it was the same...
- (Okamoto) Mr Patel, please!
It was getting dark, the air was thick
with scent, I was feeling drowsy again,
but I knew I had to make it to the boat,
so I ran.
Then the ground...
It burned my feet.
And that's when I realised
that this island was carnivorous.
It lured me in with fresh water by day,
deadened my senses at night turning to acid,
digesting whatever flesh it could find.
It was a shark that I saw in the water.
That's why the meerkats slept in the trees!
- They were trying to warn me.
- Pi, I really, really think that we should...
I ran for the boat, but I could hear
Richard Parker howling in pain.
I couldn't leave him.
He'd saved my life.
So, I blew my whistle,
I roared, and I shouted.
Finally, he came out of the trees,
jumped in the boat,
and we went back out to sea,
and I saved him.
Mr Patel, please!
A meat-eating island?
Human teeth embedded in a fruit?
These things don't exist.
- Only because you haven't seen them.
- Absolutely right.
We believe what we see,
don't we, Miss Chen?
It does sound unlikely.
(Okamoto) Your island
is botanically impossible.
No scientist would believe you.
Scientists don't know
every plant that exists.
They know
the fundamental rules of botany.
I have an uncle who taught me
a lot about botany, actually.
- He's a bonsai master, and he said that...
- A what? Sorry.
- Bonsai master?
- Bonsai master.
You know, um... little trees,
less than two feet tall.
You can carry them in your arms.
They can be very old.
My uncle has one
that's over three hundred years old.
A three-hundred-year-old tree
that you carry in your arms?
Whoever heard of such a thing?
It's botanically impossible.
But they exist, Mr Patel.
I believe what I see.
How could you survive
in a lifeboat with a tiger?
It's unbelievable!
If you stumble at belief,
what are you living for?
- Isn't love hard to believe?
- I think what Mr Okamoto is trying to say...
- Don't bully me with politeness!
- I'm not. I'm just...
Love is hard to believe. Life is hard to believe.
God is hard to believe, hmm?
What's your problem
with "hard to believe"?
He is just trying to be reasonable.
So am I! I applied reason and logic
at every moment.
But be excessively reasonable, and you risk
throwing out the universe with the bath water.
- Pi, please calm down.
- How can I be calm?
You should've seen Richard Parker!
Huge.
Teeth like this!
Eyes that drill into your soul.
A ferocious, terrifying creature...
Enough!
That ship sank without trace.
Lives were lost.
Families, businesses, the government -
all want answers.
I've been in my job
for thirty years, Mr Patel.
I'm a senior, trusted member
of a very respectable firm.
In a few years' time,
I hope to retire,
and my record thus far
has been spotless.
I came here for the truth.
Instead, you give me fantastical,
imaginary, fictitious tales.
A tamed tiger?
A chance encounter with a Frenchman
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
I have tried to steer you
towards the facts,
but anyone reading my report
will laugh me out of office.
I will be humiliated, dishonoured,
and ridiculed.
You are the sole survivor
of this tragedy.
You bear no responsibility
for what happened.
You're an innocent victim.
I just want the truth.
Huh!
Tigers exist.
Oceans exist.
Lifeboats exist.
Because the three have never come together
in your narrow, limited experience,
you refuse to believe that they might.
You don't believe in anything.
Mr Patel, please...
What you are saying is...
at the very least... improbable.
So is winning the lottery,
but someone always wins.
You mentioned the cook on the Tsimtsum
was a Frenchman.
Maybe the man in the other lifeboat
was the cook?
How should I know, huh?
I was blind.
We are both very sorry
for all that you've suffered, Pi,
and I think that you should rest now.
Mr Okamoto, as he can't tell you
what really happened...
- "What really happened"?
- Yes.
So, you want another story?
We want the truth.
Doesn't the telling of something
always make it a story?
A story has an element of invention.
We don't want invention.
- We want facts.
- (Pi) No!
No!
You want a story that confirms
what you already know.
You want dry, yeast-less factuality.
A story without animals.
- Yes!
- We want a different story.
- All right, then.
- Thank you.
(Waves lapping)
The ship was sinking.
The sailors threw me off deck.
I swam for the lifeboat
knowing that my entire family was drowning.
Terrified, I wouldn't have made it
if the cook hadn't pulled me in.
The sailor I befriended on the ship
lay on the floor of the boat in agony.
The bone from his leg
poking out through his skin.
As the days passed, with no shelter
and the sun unrelenting, I lost hope.
And then, through blinding rays of sunshine,
like a vision of Virgin Mary,
my mother appeared
on a raft of bananas.
I was filled such joy in my chest
I thought I'd burst.
My beautiful, loving Amma.
I grabbed the net without thinking,
and thank God I did
because it meant we could fish.
As the bananas broke up and dispersed,
I said, "Banana split."
(Indistinct shouting)
It was such a relief to laugh.
Amma comforted the sailor
as best as she could.
(Speaks Russian)
We don't understand you,
but you'll be fine.
They're looking for us.
(Speaks Russian)
The cook was a horrible man.
Because of the heat
and the sailor's rotting leg
we were surrounded
by swarms of fat, black flies.
He would eat them.
Would you like to join me?
Amma was so polite.
- Thank you, but no.
- (Pi) He wasn't.
(Cook) Fools!
I was so hungry all the time.
We ate very little.
Cook caught a rat on board
and sliced it.
I was glad Amma didn't see
that I ate some.
The sailor's foot
became black and bloated.
- His leg needs amputation.
- He needs a doctor.
Cook insisted that if we didn't help him,
he'd die.
So Amma and I held him down.
(Screaming)
I was gonna throw the limb overboard,
but Cook went mad.
No! No, you idiot!
We will use it as bait.
That was the point.
The point?
You mean we cut
this poor boy's leg off for bait?
We need food or we will die.
You animal!
We have food.
She searched the ration box.
Where are all the biscuits?
Where are they?
- There were so many packets.
- He ate them with me.
I was half asleep, Amma.
He gave me one,
and I ate without thinking.
Only one, was it?
Amma. Amma, I'm sorry,
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
- We're all alone, Piscine.
- Oh.
(Snorts)
All alone.
The sailor died.
Cook butchered him.
He cut up everything - skin, intestines,
torso, arms, shoulders, legs.
Cook was covered in his blood.
Amma and I just watched.
- Where is your humanity?
- Oh, oh...
Have you no shame?
That poor boy!
You monster! Monster!
She slapped him.
He moved as to hit her back
but didn't that time.
Instead,
he ate a piece of the sailor.
Tastes like pork.
I feel stronger already.
(Heavy breathing)
Amma cried like...
I've never seen before.
Days and days went by.
Cook killed a turtle,
and we all ate a feast of blood and meat.
And at times like that, I...
I looked at him... with love.
We will find land soon.
That was delicious.
Thank you.
A little red wine jus
would've made it better,
but at least we know it's fresh.
The days turned into weeks.
We were starving.
I... I couldn't hold on to a fish.
It wriggled out of my grasp and swam away,
and... and Cook hit me.
- Then Amma hit him
- (Shouting, grunting)
(Choking)
- Then Cook killed Amma.
- (Grunts)
Time passed, and...
...I killed Cook.
Solitude began.
I turned to God.
And I survived.
What a horrible story.
Both the zebra and the sailor broke a leg,
did you notice that?
And the hyena bit off the zebra's leg
- while the cook cut off the sailor's.
- You're right.
And the Frenchman
he met in the other lifeboat,
- didn't he admit to eating two people?
- He did.
And the cook ate the sailor,
maybe the mother also...
The stories match.
Do you think
the cook decapitated his mother?
Oh, that's just terrible.
So...
So, that poor Russian sailor
was the zebra,
his mother was the orangutan,
the cook was the hyena...
Which means... he's the tiger.
I think I have all I need.
I'm very sorry
about what's happened to you.
Thank you for your time,
Mr Patel.
You have been most helpful.
Get some rest, Pi.
I'll be back in a couple of days,
and we'll talk through your relocation
to Winnipeg.
Don't you want to know
the rest of my story?
What do you mean?
Don't you want to know
what happened to Richard Parker?
Yes.
Yes, of course we do.
We drank rain.
- (Gentle music)
- We ate nothing.
When we reached land,
I was so weak I barely had the strength
to be happy about it.
All I knew was the rocking stopped...
...and there was wind in trees.
We slid out of the boat like snakes.
Neither of us could stand.
Can you hear? Can you hear?
Voices like music in the wind.
I'm here!
Hello?
(Chuckles)
We are here.
Thank God!
I love you, Richard Parker.
I love you completely.
Oh, look, look, look, look,
they're coming for us.
Help is coming.
We're saved.
I was absolutely certain
that after all we'd been through...
...that he'd look at me,
somehow he'd say goodbye
properly.
But he didn't.
(Wistful music)
(Sobbing)
So...
Richard Parker,
companion of my torment...
...awful, fierce thing that kept me alive...
...disappeared forever, and...
...and I was orphaned again.
It's essential in life
to conclude things properly.
Only then can you let go.
I'm filled with words that I should've said.
I'm so sorry about what happened to you.
We truly wish you all the best.
Before you go, Mr Okamoto,
I'd like to ask you something.
Yes, of course.
I told you two stories that account
for the 227 days I was at sea.
- Yes.
- You can't prove which one is true.
But in both the ship sinks,
my family dies, and I suffer.
- Yes.
- So, tell me...
...which story do you prefer?
Which is the better story?
Uh...
The story with animals
or the story without?
- That's an interesting question.
- The story with animals.
(Okamoto) Yes.
The story with animals is the better story.
Yes.
Thank you.
And so it goes with God!
(Strings playing sombre tune)
(Okamoto) 'As you will read from my report,
the interrogation was difficult.
'Mr Patel was fragile
'and could shed no light on the reasons
for the sinking of the Tsimtsum.
'The cause remains
impossible to determine.
'No further action is required,
'and I recommend
that the case should be closed.
'If I could just say...
'this is an astounding story
of courage and endurance
'in the face of unimaginable difficulty.
'Few castaways
have survived so long at sea...
'...and none in the company
of an adult Bengal tiger.'
(Strings swelling)
(Roaring)
(Music stops)
(Applause)
(Cheering)
(Uplifting music)
(Cheering)
(Roaring)
(Cheering)