Pi (1998)

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

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky, Darren Aronofsky (story)

Stars:

Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman

8 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 B. Herman	...	Moustacheless Man (as Stanley Herman)
Clint Mansell	...	Photographer
Tom Tumminello	...	Ephraim
Henri Falconi	...	Kaballah Scholar

Storyline

In NYC's Chinatown, recluse math genius Max (Sean Gullette) believes "everything can be understood in terms of numbers," and he looks for a pattern in the system as he suffers headaches, plays Go with former teacher Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), and fools around with an advanced computer system he's built in his apartment. Both a Wall Street company and a Hasidic sect take an interest in his work, but he's distracted by blackout attacks, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions..

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | the letter pi | go | mathematician | headache | 

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Taglines:

faith in chaos

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disturbing images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Drosnin has a theory that if the Biblical Text is put through a computer and letters are selected at certain regular intervals, a decoded message emerges that predicts the future. Skeptics observe that he keeps trying it until it appears to work. This is a modern sophistication of a hobby that Isaac Newton sometimes indulged in, finding mathematically hidden messages in the Bible.

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Goofs

Max indicates that he medicates himself with "Promazine 'HCI'." The proper name of the drug is "Promazine HCl," where the HCl stands for hydrogen chloride. The error likely occurred when either Max or a filmmaker mistook a lowercase "L" for a capital "I" on a bottle or prescription.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maximillian Cohen: 9:13, Personal note: When I was a little kid my mother told me not to stare into the sun. So once when I was six I did. The doctors didn't know if my eyes would ever heal. I was terrified, alone in that darkness. Slowly, daylight crept in through the bandages, and I could see. But something else had changed inside of me. That day I had my first headache.

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Crazy Credits

BENEFACTORS Mr. and Mrs. Fordyce Rallo Family Super-T Wordsound Posse

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Alternate Versions

The DVD also contains a 2-minute test of the "Snorricam" with Guillete walking on the street and through a market. The "Snorricam" is the camera used in Pi which follows Max from head on, with his orientation always in the center. Also, it contains a small scene with Max playing with Jenna's Slinky. Other extra's inclued a music video and a behind the scenes look.

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Connections

Featured in Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies: New Frontiers (2013)

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Soundtracks

Drippy
(Banco De Gaia) ©1997 The Ultimate Recording Co. Ltd.
Performed by Banco de Gaia (as Banco De Gaia)
Courtesy of Mammoth Records/Planet Dog Records/The Ultimate Co. Ltd.
Written by Toby Marks (ASCAP)
Published by Notting Hill Music/Wanton Music

User Reviews

A Flat Out Great Indie Film

This screenplay must have been turned down one hundred times before someone would finance it. I don't blame them. However, what could have been a travesty was saved by great acting, directing, cinematography, and sound. This brilliant/bizarre film turns a genius's quest to find the code for Wall Street into an adventure that engulfs all of human existence, and God. A brilliant example of how proper film making can turn straw into gold. Some viewers may be put off by the bizarre fits the main character faces, or the intrusion of complex mathematics into film, forcing the viewer to think, but if you watch this film, you will be rewarded a unique movie-going experience few other films will give you. This film gives you a look into the mind of man plagued by the genius he was given.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

3.14159265358

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,069, 12 July 1998

Gross USA:

$3,221,152

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,221,152

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harvest Filmworks, Truth and Soul Pictures, Plantain Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1