The Meaning of 'Pi'

Upon initial viewing, 'Pi' can be somewhat intimidating and puzzling. Taking place in New York City, a numerologist named Max Cohen desperately tries to discover the divine relationship between a number and real-world events. Max believes in three principles: (1) that mathematics is the language of the universe, (2) nature can be expressed in numbers, and (3) there are patterns everywhere in nature. The proving of these principles becomes the central motive of the film not just for Max, but also the viewer.

To develop the principles further, Max constructs a supercomputer to predict the rise and fall of various stocks in the stock market. If this prediction were to be accurate then the results applied to the stock market can be applied to anything else. At first, this concept is far-fetched, but through longer thought, Max's theory is quite feasible. In ancient civilizations, the original assumption was that disease and natural disasters were acts of God; today it is clear now what the explanation and functionalities of these instances are. That being said, is it possible for a human being to possess a complex understanding of what mathematically the world is and how it works? The aforementioned question is the central conflict for Max, refusing to believe the impossibility of his theory.

My take on the film is that Max is a paranoid schizophrenic due to the outlandish, surreal visions that persist throughout the film. Every turn Max is circled by individuals and events that demand an answer from him. For example, the Hasidic Cabal and individuals involved in the stock market desire instantaneous answers to his theory. The fact that one man, who is unstable and emotionally distraught, somehow discovers the answer to the universe leads me towards believing he is insane.

'Pi' itself is a film meant to be discussed and analyzed. There are many theories and takes that individuals should make for themselves. The questions it presents about the existence of god and a subtextual line between the existence of life and death is truly thought-provoking and remarkable. It certainly works to set an example for the rest of Darren Aronofsky's work and I look forward to seeing what he produces.