Review of Pi (1998) by Bob R — 31 Jan 2014

Pi is the story of Max Cohen, who is a math genius. He's constantly following the stock market, while working calculations on a super computer set up that takes up more than half of his tiny apartment. He's obsessed with formulas, equations, patterns, and pretty much everything numbers and math. He even documents the things he does at different times, because that's how important numbers are. Numbers are everywhere. They are in everything. As far as Max sees it, everything that is or ever was has stemmed from math. His obsession with math is way too strong though. It's not even an obsession, it's like a disease. He can't think or calm himself at all, but ends up panicking and passing out everyday because the pressure of all the calculations in his head is bringing him down. Eventually the constant calculations running through his head causes him to hit borderline insanity.

This week, I decided that on a whim I would check out Eraserhead. I didn't expect to like it, I only really showed interest because of the shock value that it might give me. I was looking for a bit of a WTF kind of movie, but ending up thinking it was great. Aronofsky borrows from Lynch with Pi, almost like an homage to that surrealist nightmare style of film making. If I had to compare the two films, Pi takes the cake for the most disturbing. This movie visits that nightmare idea of a film, and never lets go. Looking at a Lynchian nightmare like Eraserhead, it's weird and absolutely absurd, so it feels like a living nightmare. With Pi, it feels more authentic, and less abstract, giving it the scary as shit feeling that this nightmare is just too real. It's a stressful watch, as we spectate on Max who spends the hour and a half absolutely losing his fucking mind. It's well done, and is sure to be unsettling, and that was exactly what Aronofsky was going for. This is some of the stuff I liked about Pi. With that being said, I had my problems with it as well.

From an artistic film making standpoint, the movie is well done. On such a small budget, it's amazing to see talented film makers make a classic out of just a simple idea. However, I wasn't all that entertained by Pi. Sure, I don't think that was the main purpose. I feel like maybe Pi is more of an experience, rather than a film for enjoyment and entertainment. I'm glad I checked it out, I just don't feel like it's something I would ever re-visit. I was irritated by the protagonist a bit, while not feeling any interest in the wall street crooks and the torah number translation plots. It all kind of made me drift off, which sucks, because I was really looking forward to Pi after all the great stuff I had been hearing. As much as I respect Aronofsky's debut with Pi, I can't help but feel that the film left me disengaged and disappointed.

Pi is a simple little film with a good concept and is effective as a surreal nightmare, but feels dull and disengaging.