PI [DVD] [1999]

I wasn't far off giving this five stars. The edgy tone, the grainy black and white camerawork, the Kafka-esque surrealism and paranoia are not usually films I enjoy. But Pi was genuinely well scripted and directed and kept me hooked. The balance between mathematics and madness was also skillfully maintained for most of the film - clearly several of the characters are hallucinations, rather a la A Beautiful Mind, as they keep appearing suddenly and melting away just as quickly. They seem to represent the almost unhinged intensity of Max's intellectual process, and perhaps also his (largely) repressed spiritual, professional and erotic longings. It was only the ending where some of this beautiful balance was lost (with madness becoming predominant), and the final anticlimactic scene seemed to be about Max letting go of his obsession. But in all, a surprisingly good film, and a resourceful one at that, given its shoestring budget.

A film about number theory made for just $60,000 and filmed in high contrast grainy black and white doesn't sound promising - except it is. Starring Sean Gullette this is a highly original independent film in the thriller genre, with Gullette's character Max a mathematical genius afflicted with debilitating headaches and fits looking for patterns in the stock market and in life in general via a homemade computer that takes up much of his disheveled apartment. Max is soon pursued by stock market heavies looking for a way to anticipate trends in markets as he searches for those patterns, happening upon a 216 digit number he initially pays no credence to, whilst simultaneously beginning to have hallucinations thanks to working himself to the point of exhaustion. He is also 'befriended' by Lenny, an Hasidic Jew who also has an ulterior motive, himself searching for patterns and coded messages in the Torah.The high contrast black and white gives the film a unique look, but Darren Aronofsky's directional style is extremely innovative, using lots of close up shots, surreal imagery indicating Max's deteriorating mental state, and the same repeating quick edit showing Max's increasing dependence upon fit-inhibiting drugs and injections. Also worth note is the electronic soundtrack which uses repetitive motifs which back up both the obsessive compulsive behaviour as well as the increasing paranoia superbly. It's a masterpiece of filming on a restricted budget, and making subject matter you couldn't possibly think would work - but it does, and extremely well. As original a film as you could wish for showing great films don't necessarily need big budgets.

It starts off and I think they are trying to give an edgy feel to the main character, and as the film spirals it presents him as a loner that has a deep understanding of maths. His only friend, his old professor (now retired) - who quit after failing to find the answer he hoped he would from his own deep understanding of maths.The main guy is looking for patterns in ... the stock market. Although has no interest in money or wealth.He keeps getting a call from a 'mysterious' lady, how is very pushy to meet. He also bumps into a rabbi, who explains how he also has an interest in numbers, and how Hebrew letters can be translated into numbers, which in turn create numbers from the words ..... and it was an interesting point - which turned into something more of interest (at least for me) ... sadly it was left - which it kind of had to be, but it was clumsy how. However the rabbi tries to recruit him to help their cause.The lady works for a company ... and again they try to recruit too ... I guess we will never know about them much either.Both groups have their reasons for wanting the answer he is looking for - and he has his own person one too (I am guessing) ...It is the sort of film I would have been excited to watch after reading a review much like my own of it. However - I was left wanting much much more from it. I guess some answers are never needed to be found, and a simpler happy life is what we ultimately should look for, at least as far as this film.

This is an astonishing film,one of those rare treats that almost seems to defy simple and easy reviewing or genre classification and is all the more thoughtful and rewarding because of this. Essentially the story of a maths prodigy driven to extreme distraction by a simple hypothesis: that there must be a mathematical formula to describe the nature of everything,reality,totality,literally everything. He sees patterns in everything,in games,in clouds of smoke,in ferns,in traffic, in the stock market. However, this observation sours into obsession and the obsession begins to take a terrible toll on his sanity, his relationships,, his reality. The filming is quite extraordinary, the editing and sequencing are mind-bendingly fast and snappy augmented by a visceral and kicking soundtrack that is also definitely worth purchasing, I have! I love films and music like this:challenging, hard to define or explain fully or adequately and a cerebral sensation on many different levels. I cannot recommend this highly enough, it is truly one of a rare breed and possibly the most impressive film I have seen in many years. Watch this and then buy Requiem for a dream if your haven’t seen it already, another masterpiece!

This is not a film for the buff who is after a simple sci-fi movie. It isn't a film for those who can quickly lose the thread and fall asleep. If you don't have a good grasp of mathematics then, again, it is not a film for you. But, if you understand what a Prime Number or a Fibonacci sequence is then you will find this film engrossing, and if you can drag yourself away from this you will also find a brilliantly scripted film, well acted and directed, a masterpiece in fact.