Review of Pi (1998) by Tommy H — 15 Apr 2015

I think this is Aronofsky's best movie. Even better than The Wrestler. I've never seen the way a movie is filmed do such a good job of expressing the way the central character is feeling. It's a masterpiece of psychological expressionism. I love the intensity of the headache scenes. When Max is looking in the mirror picking at his head reminds me of the inky grittiness of Taxi Driver and the industrial, dream-like escapism of Eraserhead. The scenes where Max is walking around, feeling paranoid; the camera is close to his head and centered on him chewing his fingers while the background is disorientating and dizzy. And the way it flashes to ordinary people staring at him. Requiem For A Dream wanted to make you sick and succeeded in that not so noble ambition, Pi wants to make you anxious and paranoid -- my kind of movie -- and it succeeds. The way the narrative is expressed visually is beautiful and eerie. And the soundtrack is perfect; chaotic and synthetic. Clint Mansell also did the great soundtrack for Requiem. The script itself I found not so brilliant, but it was appropriate for this kind of experience. I just wish it was a little less zany. But then again, maybe the zaniness was necessary.

For fans of this movie I highly recommend The Conversation by Francis Ford Coppola.