Life Of Pi Page #11

PI:

I'm sorry, O.J.; I don't have any

seasickness medicine for you -

And then it strikes him.

PI (CONT'D)

Supplies! Ah, supplies!

Pi pulls up the edge of the tarp nearest the bow. A row of

benches with hinged lids curve around the bow. Pi opens the

rearmost bench and finds a "LIFEBOAT MANUAL AND NAVIGATIONAL

GUIDE" in a plastic bag along with a pencil lying on top of

bags of supplies. He pulls out the manual and flips through

it - an illustration shows that the boat is lined with

compartments. He opens the next bench - it's stuffed with

life jackets.

He tosses one of the life jackets to O.J., who has no idea

what to make of it. O.J. turns to watch him, utterly

bewildered.

40.

88 EXT. THE OCEAN, BEHIND THE LIFEBOAT/THE LIFEBOAT - DAY 88

An hour later. Pi finishes tying a knot in a piece of rope

that joins oars to the lifebuoy. Pull back to reveal that Pi

has built a makeshift raft, tying three oars into a triangle

around the lifebuoy and using the banana net to gather the

life vests into a bunch beneath.

Pi sits back, mopping his brow, then begins pushing and

dragging his raft over to the edge of the lifeboat to launch

it.

The hyena comes out from under the tarp to see what all the

noise is. As it paces, it gets too close to O.J., who

suddenly comes to life, rising up to her full height, pulling

back her lips and roaring. The hair on the hyena's neck and

shoulders stands up - suddenly, it launches an attack. Pi

cries out, flinching - but O.J. uses one of her long arms to

thump the beast on top of the head.

Pi cheers the blow -

PI:

YES!

But the hyena gets up in an instant - it attacks again, this

time going for O.J.'s throat.

PI (CONT'D)

NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!!

O.J. gets pulled down to the floor of the boat, the battle

continuing out of view. Pi searches through the piles of

rope, finding a knife. He rises and dashes forward.

Pi reaches the end of the tarp. The hyena retreats. O.J. lies

in the stern, dead.

Pi, enraged, confronts the hyena.

PI (CONT'D)

Come on! Come on!! COME ON...!!!

Pi feels the tarp move under his feet... suddenly, Richard

Parker launches like a blur from under the canvas, going

straight after the hyena. Pi falls backward on the tarp,

stunned.

As the tiger clamps his jaws around the hyena, finishing it

off, Pi leaps back to the bow, shoving his makeshift raft

into the water. The raft splashes in the water and the tiger

turns; Pi looks back and comes face-to-face with Richard

Parker.

41.

The tiger stands with front feet on the crossbench, sniffing

the sea air, examining his surroundings for the first time,

agitated by this open air environment. As he turns to go back

under the tarp, his gaze falls on Pi. Richard Parker's ears

swivel, and his lip twitches, revealing a canine as long as a

finger.

Pi, terrified, grabs an oar and holds it out, trying to

prevent an attack. Unfortunately, he also blocks Richard

Parker's path back under the tarp. The tiger tries to go

around the oar, and when Pi blocks his way, the tiger swings

a paw, knocking the oar into the ocean with such force that

Pi is spun completely around with his back to the tiger. He

falls into a crouch, cowering, prepared to die.

Richard Parker's predator instinct takes over. He snarls and

pounces on the tarp, menacingly close to Pi - then hesitates,

unsettled by the softness of the tarp beneath his feet. The

tiger retreats, examining his surroundings.

Pi jumps toward the raft. He belly flops into the ocean and

rises in a panic, trying to scramble up onto the raft, only

to have it flip completely over his head.

A88 EXT THE RAFT - DAY A88

Grey, lifeless skies above the vastness of the ocean. Pi

shivers, his eyes glassy, his lips chapped and skin waxen

from hours of exposure. He tries various ways to re-shape the

raft.

A shark slips up alongside Pi and bumps him, sending Pi

scrambling back to the safety of the raft.

91 EXT. THE LIFEBOAT - DAY 91

Pi pulls the raft to the back of the lifeboat, tying the rope

line on one of the tarp hooks. Hands appear on the gunnels.

Pi lifts his head over the bow. The tiger is nowhere in

sight. Pi quietly climbs aboard. He tries in vain to control

his chattering teeth and shaking limbs as he opens the

starboard bow storage bench.

He sees a duffel bag, zips it open and rifles through the

contents. It contains an array of survival supplies - as he

lifts it out, his eye falls upon a stack of cans marked

"Water." He pops a hole in a water can with the can opener

and drinks one, tilting his head back and closing his eyes in

ecstasy. He throws a few on the raft. He grabs a couple of

boxes marked "Baked Wheat Biscuits." Pi tears open a box and

stuffs a biscuit into his mouth.

42.

The biscuits are so dry that he is barely able to chew them -

crumbs fall from his lips into the supply hatch.

A rat skitters out from under the tarp, grabbing biscuit

crumbs, then retreating.

A low growl. Richard Parker charges out from his den and

bounds onto the tarp. Pi staggers in terror and falls

helplessly into the storage bench, with only his head poking

out above the tarp.

The tiger steps toward Pi, then hesitates - again, the

softness of the tarp unnerves him. He steps back off the tarp

and paces the stern.

Pi creeps out of the storage bench - then watches in horror

as Richard Parker swivels and charges him again, this time

beneath the tarp. The rat scurries back out of hiding and

Richard Parker's head follows, looming up out from the gap

between the tarp and the storage bench. Pi jumps onto the

tarp, out of the tiger's reach.

Richard Parker scrambles backward and reappears at the far

end of the tarp, roaring, prepared to attack from above -

then halts, watching in astonishment as the rat hops around

the lifeboat, finally running up Pi's shirt and landing on

Pi's head.

Pi grabs the rat by the tail and throws it. The rat sails,

paws and tail stretched wide, across the boat. Richard Parker

opens his mouth and the rat flies in, its tail disappearing

between the tiger's lips like a spaghetti noodle.

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