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 | using a metal detector on a beach | go | brilliant mind | pattern | 

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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

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 number written in the opening sequence of the film is not Pi beyond the first eight decimals.

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Goofs

When Robeson is discussing Archimedes' Principle with Max, he states that Archimedes wanted to assess density by measuring weight and volume. Nowadays, density is (usually, not always!) defined as mass, rather than weight, per volume so as to make it independent of the strength of the prevailing gravitational field. The concept of gravity, however, did not arise for many hundreds of years after Archimedes. It is, therefore, not a goof to say that Archimedes used the crown's weight to calculate density rather than its mass.

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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

In the original script, the man seen singing on the subway was referred to as the "Moustache Man". But since the part went to the clean-shaven Stanley B. Herman, the final movie credits list him as "Moustacheless Man".

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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

References The Cherokee Kid (1996)

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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

not about math, but about obsession, paranoia, searching for answers never found

Pi is the kind of movie I wished I could've seen in one of those dank art-house movie theaters in New York City, as it's practically gift-wrapped for the crowds. But it's not done with every shot lingering on the characters, soaking in minimalism in its black and white photography, quite the opposite. Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker I first got into through Requiem for a Dream, which now years after I saw it I want to revisit again upon the soon to be released the Fountain and especially after now seeing Pi. Before with 'Requiem', I did like the movie a lot, but felt a little apprehensive about deeming it that old term 'masterpiece' as the editing, while ultra fast for a purpose, almost came off as too "MTV" for me. But years later, after hundreds of more films taken in, I'm ready for a second look. In this particular case, Pi is also the kind of movie that warrants a second look at the director's other films. His themes run just as much together as does his breakneck style. And it's not just to show off; he truly does get inside a psychology through subjective camera AND editing, to a degree that might impress Hitchcock, albeit with some whiplash.

Max Cohen played by Sean Gullette is the protagonist of the story, who's main foe is none other than the universe itself, in a sense, all through one number. Or rather, a series of numbers, one which might unlock the Stock Market secret for him. He doesn't even want to play the market, mind you, but the point for him- if one can follow- might be attributed to a repeated memory he has of looking at the sun as a boy, and soon looking past the shock of actually looking long at it. This is a very small device by Aronofsky but it works well to establish- and continue- this man's downward spiral. And spirals, by the way, seem to also figure into the film, as well as a secret technology firm (with a woman who reminded me of Condaleeza Rice look-alike), and especially a near undercover Hasidim ring where they need the numbers *in* Cohen's head to unlock some big secret to God. But even with all of this pressure, Cohen can't shake what's dogging him around, in his own cramped, wire-ridden apartment, with many bugs crawling around.

The key for this movie really is atmosphere, in the acting (if it makes you uncomfortable sometimes that's the point too, and it's probably the strangest performance of a lifetime for Gullette), the production design (that apartment and the subways), the grainy, spectacular photography by Matthew Libatique, the editing to be sure- which here, unlike the breakneck 'Requiem', does take a break from the cuts so quick they almost past subliminally (which isn't bad)- and the moody music that is so slight you almost forget its there. It even works for me, and this is a big plus, as someone who's not really interested in mathematics (worst subject in school), and even better as it drew me in to his obsessions with it. I really liked one of the early scenes between Max and his the friendly Hassidic man who explains on paper different numbers and their relation to parts of the Torah. And, in the end, it all comes down to getting engrossed through what the filmmaker's bringing in with this man. There is a sort of detachment from reality- that most of us would never touch much of this with a ten foot pole- but then again it really isn't. Aronofsky also makes a point of some hallucinations/dreams adding to the ambiance, skidding almost towards the pretentious, and thus creating a world all of its own in Pi for Max, and for us as well.

A film that I shall certainly seek out again when I can, if only to see if I can understand some things a little more (or maybe not as case might be), and to see such a powerhouse performance from Gullette. Grade: A