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Under discussion:

Slacker  (1991)

Clerks  (1994)

Welcome to the Dollhouse  (1996)

Slam  (1999)

Pi  (1998)

Next Stop Wonderland  (1998)

High Art  (1998)

Buffalo '66  (1998)

Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Darren Aronofsky’s Pi (1998).

Today’s story is a little shorter than the rest in this series, but it’s worth remembering because it involves another instance where one Sundance success directly resulted in the making of a later Sundance success (a la Slacker leading to Clerks). The earlier film in this case was Welcome to the Dollhouse, which Darren Aronofsky saw at the 1996 festival. In Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures, Aronfsky comments on the experience: “I thought it was such a unique, weird film, that it really gave me the courage to go back to New York and just try to throw something together.” That November he was in production on Pi.

A little over a year later, the stylish black and white Pi premiered at Sundance. When he submitted the film, Aronofsky thought maybe it could fit into the festival’s midnight program. Instead, it was selected for competition, alongside High Art, Buffalo ‘66, Next Stop Wonderland and Slam, which would win the Grand Jury Prize. Aronofsky would go on to win the Best Director award, but that wasn’t until near the end of the festival. Days beforehand, the filmmaker was given a first impression that Pi might leave Sundance with bupkis.

The first screening, an all-industry presentation, did not go so well. Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein apparently refused to see the film. October Films’ Bingham Ray reportedly hated it and walked out. When the movie ended, there was little applause and not one person asked a question during the Q&A. Fortunately, one important person eventually saw Pi and liked it enough to make it a modest hit while also taking Aronofsky’s promising career under his wing: Amir Malin, who’s company Live Entertainment would soon be renamed Artisan Entertainment and would soon explode as one of the most successful independent distributors of the late ‘90s.

Below is the first 20 minutes of Pi. The rest of the film can be found on YouTube in segments if you get hooked.

Under discussion:

Jules and Jim  (1962)

In the Company of Men  (1997)

Rushmore  (1998)

The Squid and the Whale  (2005)

Step Brothers  (2008)

The Vicious Kind, a love triangle drama starring Adam Scott and Brittany Snow, directed by Lee Toland Krieger and executive produced by Neil LaBute, is described in the always remarkable Sundance catalogue as “a glimpse into the soul of a damaged man whose obstinate defense mechanisms are laid bare by his fractured relationships.” We subjected Krieger to the 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, and he divulged about his unusual choice of film stock and taking cues from Cassavetes, and twice implied seething hatred for Paris Hilton.

Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.

My film is called The Vicious Kind and it stars Adam Scott, Brittany Snow, Alex Frost and JK Simmons. We shot the film on 35mm—Kodak’s Vision 1, specifically.  It’s something I very proud of.  Maybe the first film on Vision 1 since the eighties.

In part, I wanted to make The Vicious Kind because I’ve long been a fan of the transgressive qualities in John Cassavetes’ films, and I wanted to make a film that felt somewhat reckless.  I liked the idea of a story and characters that didn’t necessarily fall under the “indiewood” category, and didn’t pull any punches.  Similar to Cassavetes’ approach in “Faces,” I wanted to make a film that would provide a setting where my lead actors could run a bit wild.

I like to sell The Vicious Kind as The Squid & The Whale meets In the Company of Men. What that description doesn’t tell you is that the film is a redemption tale in which the lead, Caleb, played by Adam Scott, is a recluse and somewhat of a misanthrope.  Anyone who’s seen Step Brothers knows Adam can play “the asshole you love to hate” perfectly.   I think for people that see my film they’re going to discover Adam is an phenomenally sophisticated actor who can texture a performance in such a way that he’s menacing and perverse, and at the same time vulnerable and endearing.

If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker.

I’ve been lucky to not have too many “real jobs”.  I interned a lot during film school at various production companies.  I spent my time there reading scripts and answering phones, but I was terrible because I was constantly trying to either work on my own material or stealing production books in an effort to educate myself.  I’ve also spent time creating original content for MySpace.  Low points included doing shows on both the Hilton and Kardashian sisters.  Those were days where you go home and try to figure out how to apply to law school.

Have you been to Sundance before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). If you haven’t, what are you most (or least) looking forward to based on your impressions of the festival?

I’ve never been to Sundance, and, based on impressions I’ve been given, I’m most looking forward to freezing my ass off as I try to get into screenings/dinners/parties (even my own) and totally striking out.  Then, just as I’m about to give up, Paris Hilton strolls by (through the snow) in a skirt and five-inch stilettos and walks right in without any credentials whatsoever.  At which point I can tell whoever is next to me, “I didn’t need to leave LA to watch Paris Hilton pass the line I’m standing in.”

Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?

This is a brutal question.  The two that come to mind now would be Jules et Jim and then Rushmore—in that order.  Both films are romantic in their own quirky way, and they both make me feel wonderful.  I like the idea of feeling the way those films make me feel before I depart.