Pi (1998)

This moody, impressionistic first effort by newcomer Darren Aronofsky, shot entirely in grainy 16mm black-and-white film stock, gives hope that the midnight movie may not be dead after all. A strange hybrid of David Lynch's classic Eraserhead, 1950s science fiction, and a smattering of religious mysticism, Aronofsky's film creates a definitive portrait of urban paranoia and slowly-developing madness. Shockingly, the film was made for around $60,000, an alarming figure when evidenced by the inventive set construction and remarkably burnished cinematography by Matthew Libatique. Pi won the coveted Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and became a mid-level success for Artisan Entertainment, the upstart independent studio that would later make a name for itself with the smashing success of The Blair Witch Project. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide