Pi – 1998
Posted by Scott on 03 Apr 2008 at 01:15 pm | Tagged as: Obscure Films
Welcome to day 4 of sci-fi week at Movie Loner. Hardcore fans of the genre know all about this movie. When I caught Pi a couple weeks back I had forgotten just how compelling it is. Writer/Director Darren Aronofsky set the film world ablaze in 1998 with his debut film, an intense roller coaster ride inside the troubled mind of a mathematical genius. Dazzling black and white cinematography and an appropriately unnerving electronic score are just two of the sensational attributes in Pi.
Max Cohen is a brilliant recluse who suffers from extreme migraines. A steady diet of pills helps ease the pain but Max’s obsession with numbers plagues him more than headaches. Numbers rule Max’s life, and the world, according to his philosophy. His latest compulsion is plugging digits into his homemade super-computer in an attempt to break the code to Wall Street. Track the numbers long enough and a pattern will materialize. Max’s nonstop analysis produces a theory; a theory that will lead him down a path toward madness.
Max’s numeric doctrine draws interest from Wall Street heavy hitters and a silver-tongued Hasidic Jew devoted to the Torah. The introverted Max can’t handle the sudden attention. His headaches worsen. Paranoid delusions consume him daily. A constant buzzing fills his head. Is his theory plausible or is it perhaps a message sent by God? These unanswered questions and many more affix Max on the precipice of insanity. Will he survive this dangerous numbers game?
Pi grabs hold early and never lets go. At just 27, Aronofsky created a cult masterpiece that astounds from start to end. It’s a startling expose on the thin line between genius and madness. Max dwells on an alternate plain of existence overwhelmed by digits and code. His brain never stops, never tires. It will not rest, not until it successfully unravels the mysteries of the universe. You don’t have to be a sci-fi nut to appreciate the clever simplicity of Pi. Check back here tomorrow for the final installment of sci-fi week.
The trailer for Pi:
