π (Pi, a Review in 314 Words)

I could've done this review for the 31st of March but Darren Aronofsky's new film 'mother!' comes out next week and I am going to try and review every Aronofsky film before I release a review for 'mother!'. Before Aronofsky became (in)famous for Requiem for a Dream or Black Swan he made this Sundance winning film starring Sean Gullette.

(the review will start now)

As a human, you undoubtedly look for patterns wherever you go. In the footpath or the tiles of the bathroom as you sit on the toilet. What if you could work out the pattern for everything in the universe. This is math prodigy Maximillian Cohen (Gullette's) mission. He comes across a 216 digit number but ignores it until he realises he shouldn't have. Max starts to see evidence of the 216 digit number in his work and in the Torah as has encounters with a Hasidic Jew. An old friend of Max's tells him to not inquire further as he will burn himself out. There are also some people from a wall street firm who take an interest in Max.

While this film does offer entertainment for its 84 minute run time, in retrospect is often feels like a warm up for Aronofsky's later works. The sound design transforms the extremely grainy, high contrast 16mm images from amateurish to an aesthetic choice. The movie on its surface is a thriller but looking closer will reveal a subverted horror film influenced by Roman Polanski. For some, the sound design will be unnerving.

Sean Gullette is the first great performance in an Aronofsky film (a career full of them). The movie's paranoid feeling is essentially carried on Gullette's performance. Clint Mansell's score helps convey the feelings of paranoia and anxiety the film imposes on Max as he searches for that 216 number.

Mathematics nuts will like this film as number theory is a big part of the narrative. This includes Fibonacci sequence, chaos theory and the golden spiral.

Aronofsky's first film is essentially a warm up for his greater works but it doesn't mean his collaborators aren't bringing their a-games. If you want to get into Aronofsky's work, I wouldn't start here but don't skip it.

Overall Score: 8/10

What are your thoughts on this film? Let me know below.

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Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writers: Darren Aronofsky, Sean Gullette, Eric Watson

Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao, Stephen Pearlman and Pamela Hart

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique

Score: Clint Mansell

Editor: Oren Sarch