The only survivor of a catastrophic shipwreck, a boy finds himself in a lifeboat with a tiger.

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His stoic father, the manager of a zoo in Pondicherry, is a no-nonsense atheist, but Pi Patel is a follower of all three religions of this former French colony and a lover of animals. To make ends meet, his father decides to move the family and the zoo to Canada, to sell the animals and start a new life. But on the way over, a storm sinks their ship and cargo, and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean together with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a tiger – all starving. As he struggles to survive, Pi asks God why he is being tested...

James Cameron has called Ang Lee's movie a masterpiece – unsurprising coming from a director passionate about the ocean, 3D effects and ships that sink! Highly colorful (and so saturated that it borders on kitsch), the story about surpassing one's limitations when faced with the vicissitudes of destiny is exactly the thing the Academy of Arts and Sciences adores – and one may question Cameron's statement, even if some scenes are sure to move and amaze the audience.