Director
Darren Aronofsky
Leading Actors/Actresses
Sean Gullette and Mark Margolis
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Ben Shenkman and Samia Shoaib
Genre
Psychological thriller
Language
English
Awards
No significant awards.
Date of Release
July 10, 1998
Producer
Darren Aronofsky, Eric Watson, and Scott Vogel
Setting and Context
Chinatown, New York City
Narrator and Point of View
Through the point of view of unreliable narrator Max Cohen
Tone and Mood
Scary, Horror, Smart, Intriguing, and thrilling.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Max Cohen vs. The people trying to take his work
Major Conflict
The inner conflict between Max and his abilities
Climax
When Max tries to flee the situation he is in and go to Sol
Foreshadowing
When Max begins correctly forecasting the stock market, it foreshadows the extent of his ability.
Understatement
Max's ability is understated throughout the whole film. He thinks it's not that big of a deal that he has such profound abilities, but others do.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The film was innovative in that it was shot in black and white and was released in the late 1990's, and time during which few films were released in black and white. Though grainy and pixelated, the film is still well-shot.
Allusions
References to religion, particularly Judaism and Islam; as well as mathematics, particularly number theory, popular culture, and the game of go.
Paradox
Max is an introvert who dreads social interaction, yet spends time with his former Mathematics professor, Devi, and Jenny, his daughter.
Parallelism
There are no significant instances of parallelism.
