Darren Aronofsky is now so established as an offbeat auteur that it’s strange to think that it was only 15 years ago that he made his first feature. Even those who find his films ponderous and pretentious have to admit that he has a distinctive style all of his own, both in terms of story and visuals.
The films he writes and directs blur the line between dreams and reality and leave you wondering how much of what you’re seeing is actually happening and how much is occurring inside the protagonist’s head. They’re also edited to follow a steady rhythm that builds to a crescendo as the film climaxes and this rhythm is complimented by Clint Mansell’s astounding music. Pi has all these ingredients and is unmistakably an Aronofsky film, even if it is a little rough around the edges compared to his later work.
Released in 1998 it’s built around Mansell’s drum & bass score that does feel distinctly late 90s. It tells the story of highly strung mathematician Maximillian Cohen (Sean Gullete), who’s working to find patterns in the stock market but becomes convinced a 216 digit number his super computer produces holds the secrets of the universe. Run-ins with sinister government agencies and shadowy Jewish sects seem to confirm his paranoid suspicions, but is this all reality or is he losing his frazzled mind?
It’s the same mix of human drama and surreal dream sequences that have cropped up in Aronofsky’s later films Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan, all of which can be seen as films about madness in one way or another, whether it’s caused by drugs, grief or ballet. Aronofsky has plenty of detractor’s who are unable to get over all the fantasy stuff to appreciate the drama, and Pi is unlikely to convert them. But if, like me, you find his films to be epically effective trips through the human mind, then Pi stands proudly with the rest of them.
The main and most obvious difference between Pi and Aronofsky’s later output is in how it looks. His camera still swoops and swings around with his characteristically imaginative angles but these are more reined in, especially compared to The Fountain, where he was really let loose. And in comparison to his later film’s lush cinematography, Pi’s scratchy black and white visuals can look a little flat. That’s obviously due to the film’s comparatively low budget as he worked with the same cinematographer Matthew Libatique on all his later films. The photography sometimes appears distractingly over-lit and bleached out but on other occasions, especially when the film becomes concerned with its religious overtones, it appears more painterly and even sometimes resembles a silent film of the German Expressionism era.
All in all, Pi works not only as a blueprint for the career of one of the most interesting American filmmakers working today but as a fully formed example of what he can do. And although the Blu-Ray is a little light on extras, with only a couple of commentaries, some deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage, and could do with some more retrospective insight, it’s still a must have for any serious Aronofsky fan.
Overall Verdict: It’s not quite as visually slick as Darren Aronofsky’s later work but it has all the crucial ingredients and if you’re a fan of his brand of grandly surreal, fantasy infused drama it’s just as effective as his more recent, big budget films.
Special Features:
Commentary with Darren Aronofsky
Commentary with Sean Gullette
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes Montage
Theatrical Trailer
Original Trailer
Music Video
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon