Pi (1998)

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky (written by)
Darren Aronofsky (story) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

faith in chaos

Plot:

A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.

Plot Keywords:

Mathematician | Headache | Stock Market | Migraine | Orthodox Jew

Awards:

9 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Sean Gullette	...	Maximillian Cohen
Mark Margolis	...	Sol Robeson
Ben Shenkman	...	Lenny Meyer
Pamela Hart	...	Marcy Dawson
Stephen Pearlman	...	Rabbi Cohen
Samia Shoaib	...	Devi
Ajay Naidu	...	Farrouhk
Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao	...	Jenna
Espher Lao Nieves	...	Jenna's Mom
Joanne Gordon	...	Mrs. Ovadia
Lauren Fox	...	Jenny Robeson
Stanley Herman	...	Moustacheless Man
Clint Mansell	...	Photographer
Tom Tumminello	...	Ephraim
Henri Falconi	...	Kaballah Scholar

Also Known As:

3,14159265358 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | Hungary:16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Harvest Filmworks

Trivia:

The brain used in the film is real.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Lenny demonstrates basic examples of Hebrew numeric coincidences, he gets the numbers right but mistranslates some of the Hebrew. "Kedem" does not mean "Garden of Eden" but is a biblical word means "East" (as in "East of Eden"). Also, "Etz Hakhaim" is not the tree of knowledge but rather the other tree in the garden, the tree of life.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Maximillian Cohen: When I was a little kid, my mother told me not to stare into the sun, so when I was six I did...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005)

Soundtrack:

Drippy

Inventive, sharp, *different* cinema

After seeing "Pi", you realise that a lot of Hollywood producers should be automatically fired. Why? Because you can make a great film like this for only $60,000 whereas turkeys like "Waterworld" cast tens of millions of dollars. Go figure.

"Pi" is about the obsession of maths genius Max Cohen (Sean Gullette), trying to find a number, a mathematical connection, that underlies all things but particularly the stock market. His obsession however begins to drive him nuts, with constant headaches and paranoid delusions (or are they...).

What's most striking about this movie is it's *different*. It isn't really comparable to any other movie I know, in terms of plot or of style. Aronofsky shows an incredible ability to work with a budget and yet still produce a visually striking movie - the movie doesn't suffer from being shot in fuzzy black & white. The paranoia of the man character is enhanced greatly by the use of a "snorricam" - a camera mounted to the body so that the viewer is attached to Max as he walks. Sharp, extremely kinetic cuts add to the frenetic energy and display what we would later see in "Requiem for a Dream". The whole intense, brooding nature is helped by the black & white imagery never allowing for any colour to seep through, enhanced by the fuzzy dream-like quality of the movie that reflects Cohen's delusions. It's no wonder that Aronofsky came away from Sundance as the Best Director for his amazing work here with such limited means.

The plot is interesting but the number Cohen seeks (which is not Pi - Pi is just used because it is a universal invariant like that which Cohen wants) isn't the centre of the movie. It's about obsession and how, as Max's friend points out, it can drive you to see things everywhere. Sure there are technical inaccuracies in it, but it's played with an assured sense of conviction, ably acted by unknown Gullette.

"Pi" is very interesting because it stands far out from the crowd. It's not one for those who think "Pearl Harbour" is the way films should be made - it's too different for that. A great debut for a director, who went on to surpass this with his superb next project, "Requiem for a Dream". 9/10.