A Journey into Mathematical Madness

Rating: 10/10 (30 March 1999)

1) Mathematics is the language of nature
2) Everything around can be understood and represented through numbers
3) If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns will emerge.
These are the three fundamental assumptions that Maximilian Cohen, a genius mathematician has of our universe. He believes that patterns exist everywhere in nature; in disease epidemics and even the rise and fall of the Nile. Math is everywhere, even in the swirls that cream makes when you pour it in your coffee, or in the billows of smoke from a cigarette. Maximilian states that even Leonardo DaVinci penciled the "golden rectangle" into his masterpieces which generated the mythical "golden spiral". Pythagoras saw this spiraling shape everywhere in nature including our finger prints and DNA strands. This, Maximilian thinks is the basis for all understanding. There is a recurring motif of circular composition to reinforce this. For example, there are many shots in which Maximilian looks out the peep-hole on the front door of his apartment. When he does this, we not only see what is outside the door, but we see what is outside the door through the circular border of the peep-hole. This spiraling effect is also created in camera movement. Most notably, in one scene Maximilian is standing on a crowded street, and the camera begins to circle around him quite rapidly (circle dolly, or crab dolly).
"Pi" is a journey into the Maximilian's mind as he struggles furiously to find the meaning of our world in terms of mathematical patterns. Theoretically, if one can explain everything through patterns, then he or she can explain the essence of even "God". But the real question is whether we as human beings are really capable of understanding the true essence of life. We can see that Maximilian is going more and more mad, the closer that he 'thinks' he is getting to the truth. He knows that he is close to the truth, but that he just can't quite grasp ahold of it. It may be true that in theory everything can be explained in terms of mathematical patterns, but in reality, perhaps we just don't have the intellectual capacity to do so. If we attempt such as colossal feat, perhaps it will lead us to madness.
The cinematography and editing of "Pi" are impeccable. It is filmed in a grainy, black&white fashion, and is essentially chaotic. Much of the film is done with the hand-held camera, showing jerky movements. 'Chaos Theory' suggests that we can find mathematical patterns in even the most chaotic and seemingly unstructured elements of the world. The chaotic filming techniques greatly reflect Maximilian's search for truth. Our world is chaotic, and he is trying to make sense of it through any mathematical patterns that he can find. I found myself asking if there is any continuity or pattern to the editing and camera work. Director, Darren Aronofsky quite likely wants us to ask that question. There are certain patterns that can be followed, and many that can not, at least through human intellectualization. The mathematically precise beats of the electronic music soundtrack also set a beneficial mood to the film, reflecting to an even higher degree that patterns exist in everything, and that, as Maximilian states in his assumptions, "Mathematics is the language of nature."
**** out of 4