Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Samia Shoaib, Pamela Hart, Joanne Gordon, Ajay Naidu, Lauren Fox, Stanley Herman, Kristyn Anne-Marie Lao, Clint Mansell, Espher Lao Nieves, Stephen Pearlman

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Summary: A man on the verge of breaking the numerical pattern which forms the basis of stockmarket fluctuations is head-hunted by financial institutions.

Low-budget film that won Aronofsky "Best Director" at 1998's Sundance Film Festival. Gritty, inventive black-and-white photography drives this story of genius mathematician Max Cohen who is exploring the possible existence of discernible patterns in the stock market. With the aid of Euclid, his home grown supercomputer, Max stumbles upon a bug that crashes his system and spits out a seemingly meaningless number. A knowledgeable friend gives him insight using the ancient game of Go and warns of the spiritual ramifications of powerful numbers. A Hasidic cabalistic sect and representatives from an extremely powerful Wall Street firm then attempt to extract the number from him, by whatever means necessary, for their own ill-gotten gains.

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Patterns exist everywhere: in nature, in science, in religion, in business. Max Cohen (played hauntingly by Sean Gullette) is a mathematician searching for these patterns in everything. Yet, he's not the only one, and everyone from Wall Street investors, looking to break the market, to Hasidic Jews, searching for the 216-digit number that reveals the true name of God, are trying to get their hands on Max. This dark, low-budget film was shot in black and white by director Darren Aronofsky. With eerie music, voice-overs, and overt symbolism enhancing the somber mood, Aronofsky has created a disturbing look at the world. Max is deeply paranoid, holed up in his apartment with his computer Euclid, obsessively studying chaos theory. Blinding headaches and hallucinogenic visions only feed his paranoia as he attempts to remain aloof from the world, venturing out only to meet his mentor, Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), who for some mysterious reason feels Max should take a break from his research. Piis complex--occasionally toocomplex--but the psychological drama and the loose sci-fi elements make this a worthwhile, albeit consuming, watch. Piwon the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. --Jenny Brown

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Deleted Scenes, Music Video, Additional Footage - 1. BEHIND-THE-SCENES MONTAGE, Trailer - 1. Theatrical Trailer, Audio Commentary, Biographies
Year:	1999
Release Date:	July 19, 2004
Runtime:	80 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P 8965 D V D
Keywords:	General, Drama, Pi
Genre:	Drama