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:

using a metal detector on a beach | cult film | go | pattern | nature | 

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Taglines:

There will be no order, only 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

Details

Official Sites:

Live Entertainment

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,216,970, 29 November 1998

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is included among the "1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider. However, it had been removed from the 2015 print of this book, updated by Ian Haydn Smith.

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Goofs

Max tells the Caballists that they've probably written down every 216 digit number. He must know this is impossible. Millions of supercomputers working since the Big Bang couldn't make a dent in writing down all the possibilities.

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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

End credits shown over bugs crawling on Max's papers.

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Alternate Versions

DVD version includes deleted scenes:

• Max being threatened by Farrouhk, Devi's jealous boyfriend;
• Max climbing up a pile of discarded computer parts and monitors;

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Connections

Referenced in One Hit Wonderland: Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell (2013)

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Soundtracks

A Low Frequency Inversion Field
Performed by Spacetime Continuum
Written & Produced by Spacetime Continuum
Courtesy of Astralwerks/Caroline Records, Inc./Space Monkey Music/BMI

User Reviews

Cohesive, stylish and innovative

The predecessor to Requiem for a Dream, this is arguably more stylish and engaging. This is helped largely by the simply outstanding soundtrack. Aranovsky's use of a haunting yet modern score binds the movie together perfectly, aided by some fantastic cinematic techniques that disorientate the audience in time with the music. The character narration is also a great cohesive tool, with the deadpan delivery more than matching the tone of the piece. This film is not as beautiful as Requiem, nor does it have quite the same gutwrenching effect, but nonetheless, this is still some film. If you like your movies very hollywood then this is not for you; but if you like stylised innovation, then you have to watch this.