Seventeen-year-old Pi Patel is the son of a zookeeper in Pondicherry, India. But when his family sets off to start a new life in Canada, the crossing goes badly wrong and their cargo ship sinks. Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific in a 26-foot lifeboat, accompanied by a wounded zebra, a starving hyena, a female orangutan and an enormous, menacing Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. He spends 227 days aboard the boat. The story is adapted from Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, which garnered the Booker Prize among others for the Canadian author (who even has a cameo in the film). Partly shot in Montreal, this adaptation is directed by the great Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Brokeback Moutain) who, with his typical finesse and lyricism, blends a personal survival story with the most epic 3D effects. Newcomer Suraj Sharma, chosen from among 3,000 young actors, gives a moving performance alongside Gérard Depardieu and Tobey Maguire.