Jeff has selected Darren Aronofsky's 1998 Noir Mystical/Psychological Thriller Pi.
Description:
Harvard educated social anthropologist Darren Aronofsky stunned the world with his $134,815 budget B&W out-of-nowhere film debut "Pi", about Max, a tormented genius Jewish number theorist recluse plagued with health issues who builds a custom design ramshackle supercomputer strewn across the walls of his tiny apartment in New York in order to search for patterns in the universe. Max is mentored by an older gentleman portrayed by Mark Margolis who previously did the same, searching for patterns in Pi. The number theorist is both stalked by Wall Street firms and befriended by Kabbalists, both yearning to discover secrets that may not be meant for man to understand.
Aronofsky never revealed his inspiration for this 1998 film, but astonishingly Peggy recalled a 1992 long-form true-life news article she had read then about Ukrainian Jewish brother recluses plagued with health issues who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars building a custom design ramshackle supercomputer strewn across the walls of their apartment in New York in order to search for patterns in the universe, particularly pi. There can be no reasonable doubt that this was Aronofsky's inspiration for his fictional film. This connection has never ever been revealed in the 25 years since Pi was released, and you heard it here first, folks, an exclusive!
Darren Aronofsky went on to regale the world with the disturbing and sad Requiem for a Dream (2000), the multidimensional reincarnation epic The Fountain (2006), the beautiful, source-text accurate, and legally banned for heresy Noah (2014), and the disturbing and highly controversial biblical parable mother! (2017).
Where to watch and think:
You can see how it all began here, available free with ads on TubiTV and PlutoTV:
https://tubitv.com/movies/100007820
https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/movies/64c000fbab3edd001323dc01
Before or after viewing check out Peggy's archeological find, the director/writer's inspiration:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/03/02/the-mountains-of-pi
After watching it and not before, check out https://www.wired.com/story/pi-day-darren-aronofsky-movie/, preferably in preparation for next March 14 (Pi Day). The claim there is that all subsequent international pi hysteria has been due to this movie, although Pi Day really started in 1988 at the Exploratorium.
Many have analyzed this film extensively. Here's one lucid commentator on YouTube, to be seen if you like after watching the film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1kEHC2oKhA
Another review:
https://forward.com/culture/539390/pi-darren-aronofksy-jewish-best-film-kabbalah-a24-imax/
Where to chat:
Discussion 7:45pm (note new time) on Monday October 2 (2023) at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2272006912 Meeting ID: 227 200 6912
Notes:
The main costs were film developing, and electricity in a warehouse. Most staff worked for free, agreeing to receive $200 a day later, or $75 a day now for actors. There was no costume department, people wore their own clothes or things from thrift stores.
Pi was the first ever film to be sold as a download on the internet. Pi was the first ever film to be sold as a streaming view on the internet.
Won the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.