Brilliant!

Rating: 10/10 (21 September 1999)

Glad to see a wonderfully executed film about something intellectual. A nice departure from the usual repetitive sex, eating, violence and other common themes emerging from the animalistic, instinctual aspects of human existence. This very jewish film (one of the best together with Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing) is about the quest for the truth. Understanding of the patterns of complex systems. It seemed like the writers are somewhat familiar with the set and chaos theory. Brilliant mathematician Max Cohen suffers from debilitatingly severe headaches and truly reminds of many brilliant mathematicians like Kurt Godel and one of the founders of fractal mathematics Mitchell Feigenbaum in his avoidance of people and ultimate dedication to his vocation. He believes like most ingenious scientists before him that universe exhibits patterns and these patterns can be quantified and understood in the language of mathematics. He pursues finding a definite answer to the workings of the stock market, thus stumbling on a numerical code to the processes of the universe. A code linking together spirality and the golden rule of geometry meaning the fractality of nature and the concept of self-similarity.
He detests petty materialists and finds the orthodox jews looking for a password to god silly and mistaken in their interpretation of the code.
Many things are left vague in the process, but the idea, photography, black and white world of the mathematician and the film, editing and drum and bass music the director Darren Aronofsky uses are just brilliant.
The mathematician reminds of the obsessed scientist ready to risk and curtail his life to find the understanding to the ultimate questions. He is very similar to the unconditional seeker in Ken Russel's Altered States. An intelligent film for a change. Thanks to filmmakers for that!