The 1998 film directed by Darren Aronofsky is Pi, a black-and-white psychological thriller about a mathematician.
The film follows Maximillian “Max” Cohen, a gifted but increasingly isolated number theorist who believes a hidden numerical pattern governs the stock market and perhaps the universe itself. His search connects mathematical obsession with religious mysticism, paranoia, and the limits of human understanding.
Pi was Aronofsky’s feature directorial debut. Made on a very small budget, it was shot on high-contrast black-and-white 16mm film, giving the movie its stark, anxious visual style. Aronofsky and producer Eric Watson raised much of the production money through small contributions from friends, relatives, and acquaintances.
A common mix-up is confusing Pi with A Beautiful Mind, another film centered on a mathematician. Pi is far more experimental and is not a conventional biographical drama. Its title refers to the mathematical constant, while its themes explore the tension between order, irrationality, and obsession.