The 1998 independent film directed by Darren Aronofsky that features an obsessed mathematician and began with a $60,000 production budget is Pi.
The film follows Maximillian Cohen, a reclusive mathematician who believes that a numerical pattern may explain the stock market and reveal an underlying order in nature. His search draws the attention of Wall Street traders and religious scholars, turning an abstract mathematical pursuit into a paranoid psychological thriller.
Pi was Aronofsky’s feature directorial debut. He and producer Eric Watson raised the initial production money largely through $100 contributions from friends, relatives, and acquaintances, eventually assembling about $60,000. The film was shot on high-contrast black-and-white 16mm stock, which gives its cramped New York locations and obsessive imagery a stark, abrasive look.
The $60,000 figure generally refers to the initial production budget; post-production and other expenses brought the reported final cost higher. Pi premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where Aronofsky won the Directing Award. Its title refers to the mathematical constant π, not to a character or place.