Review of Pi (1998) by Christopher E — 16 Oct 2017

Stuff like this shows the kind of innovative and disturbing mind Aronofsky has.

God and man and math: The tawdry meets the Talmudic in this complex thriller about a tortured computer genius trying to beat the stock market.

Thinking about it, this might be the first real black & white film I've ever seen. I mean yeah, I've seen black & white films in class but I've never sat down and watched one outside of class. Kind of weird, right? I'm a film major and I've never took the time to view one, however, 18 years later and I've finally accomplished that. Sufficed to say my first impression is not too shabby.

Aronofsky is a tricky one. His films often require a lot of thought, but not to the point where an average movie goer can't follow along. His films always seem to have some disturbing element in it, which this film followed. With this being one of his first films (to my knowledge), I saw a lot of his style and aesthetic as a filmmaker. He creates a film that makes you think a lot and cringe a little at just how disturbing some of the imagery can be.

The editing, the cinematography, and the score are all things that really impressed me. The film had a rapid pace editing to it, which really made for this more tense film. The score that accompanied it wasn't upbeat, rather it was fast paced and a good compliment. The cinematography was also really good. This movie was shot on film, and there were a ton of really cool shots throughout. It all came together to create a nice, cohesive film altogether.

I still may be a little confused by this film honestly. There's a lot going on here in only a hour and 20 minutes, a lot which is represented by symbolism and metaphors. It's really interesting when you think about it all in the end, as it really does a lot to create this world where this character exists. It was a really intriguing and I think valuable piece to watch. I'm not typically a fan of older films, but this one was definitely enjoyable.

In the end, "Pi" was a very solid film and one that I'd recommend to others. Although I may not be watching it again soon, it definitely was one to be recognized at some level.