Pi... a Descend into Chaos

As recommended by a Stranger, I got my hands on Pi (1998), a brilliant work of cinematic art written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, who- as the stranger pointed out- also happens to be the director of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, two of my favorite movies of all time.

Interestingly, Stranger failed to mention (and perhaps even notice) that the friendly neighbor, Devi, in Pi and the not-so-friendly nurse in Requiem for a Dream are actually played by the same actress, Samia Shoaib.

Well, if you found that bit of trivia interesting, wait for this-

What is that makes these three movies truly brilliant? What is it that gives them the power to sink under your skin? Is it the cinematography, the brilliant acting, or the mind-fuckery? In my opinion, it is all that, and the music, the canvas on which all these elements are played out on.

Clint Mansell in Pi

It came as a very pleasant surprise to me that the music for all three movies was done by the same genius of a musician, Clint Mansell. This Golden Globe Award nominated composer has an unparalleled talent for recreating classical music,- by Mozart in Requiem for a Dream and by Tchaikovsky in Black Swan- and adding an edgy and dark taste of modernity to compliment the visual madness conceived by Aronofsky.

And here is more trivia for you- Mansell makes a surprise appearance in Pi, as the photographer in the subway.

What subway, you ask? Here, let me tell you more about Pi.

A nightmare in grainy black and white, Pi follows a young genius' gradual descend into insanity. Maximillian Cohen is a young number theorist, whose strong conviction that all things form a pattern discernible by mathematics leads him on a quest to find this same nature in the stock market.

"Restate my assumptions: One, Mathematics is the language of nature. Two, Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers. Three: If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns emerge... So, what about the stock market? The universe of numbers that represents the global economy. Millions of hands at work, billions of minds. A vast network, screaming with life. An organism. A natural organism. My hypothesis: Within the stock market, there is a pattern as well... Right in front of me... hiding behind the numbers. Always has been."

But Cohen is not the only one interested in this discovery. His findings are of obvious monetary value to a Wallstreet firm. A cult of Jews are also on the hunt for this number that they believe will serve as the key to understanding the universe, and ultimately, finding God. The insanity unravels as Max comes closer and closer to what he calls "genius".

Stranger spoke of stylistic elements, and I definietly see what he meant there. The recurring theme in Aronofsky's work seems to concern itself with the maddening chase of desire and passion, and that is precisely what Pi is all about. This psychological thriller will leave you deeply disturbed, I promise. It will also prove that it is brilliant minds that create art, not big budgets.