Pi (1998, Sean Gullette, Ben Shenkman)

Darren Aronofsky’s film is one of the most assured feature debuts of recent years with a bold and highly original story dreamed up by Aranofsky and star Sean Gullette. Max Cohen (Gullette) subordinates his life to numbers, believing that the seemingly random numbers of mathematics and Wall Street constitute a pattern, the discovery of which will unlock the key to human existence by revealing the true name of Jehovah.

Encounters with a Hasidic Jew (Ben Shenkman) and a former mentor (Mark Margolis) try in vain to slow him down, but an unexpected obstacle comes after his computer spits out some market predictions and a 216-digit number before crashing. Moments later he hears the market has really crashed, and a hunt is on for the mythical number which precipitated it, with a desperate businesswoman and a group of Hasidim willing to bend the law to unearth the secret.

Original, sporadically disturbing and fascinating, Aronofsky’s pre-millennial nightmare relied on devotion from investors off screen and actors on. The minimal budget (reported at $60,000) was raised from individual $100 donations from everyone in the creative team’s contact book, on the promise of a 50% profit. When Artisan picked up the film for US distribution, they delivered the cheques. Filming was completed in guerilla style with night shoots on the New York City Metro, evading cops and avoiding extra costs by shooting without the necessary permits, with the crew in NYU shirts so they could profess to being ignorant students if collared. The result of this insane quest was an award at Sundance and worldwide distribution.

production details
USA | 84 minutes | 1998

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Script: Darren Aronofsky, Sean Gullette, Eric Watson,

cast
Sean Gullette as Maximillian Cohen
Ben Shenkman as Lenny Meyer
Mark Margolis as Sol Robeson
Samia Shoaib as Devi
Pamela Hart as Marcy Dawson
Ajay Naidu as Farroukh
Joanne Gordon as Mrs. Ovadia
Stephen Pearlman as Rabbi Cohen
Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao as Jenna
Lauren Fox as Jenny Robeson
Clint Mansell as Photographer
Espher Lao Nieves as Jenna’s Mom
Stanley B. Herman as Moustacheless Man
Oren Sarch as Kaballah Scholar
Abraham Aronofsky as Man Delivering Suitcase