π (Pi) is the 1998 directorial debut of dark and acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky. Shot on a shoestring in grainy black and white, it tells the story of Max, a mathematical genius who finds patterns everywhere. For the past ten years he has been trying to crack the ultimate code: the stock market. Now he believes he is extremely close in doing so. Soon he begins seeing patterns in everything and gradually begins a descent into madness. There is real craftsmanship evident in this film and you can tell that Aronofsky was a talented filmmaker from the beginning. Yet, like with the rest of his work, it is unremittingly bleak and this one is almost headache inducing. I did like the bizarre ending however.
**1/2
