Pi: The Guerilla Diaries

by Darren Aronofsky

Before he directed Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Mother!, and The Whale, Darren Aronofsky was a 27-year-old would-be filmmaker struggling to make his first feature, Pi (1998). This is his diary of those years – alongside hundreds of never-before-seen photos and materials pulled from Aronofsky’s extensive archives. Featuring a new introduction by Darren Aronofsky; the complete (and long out of print) Guerilla Diaries, Darren's journal entries chronicling the pre-production, production, and release of the film; script notes, camera tests, cinematographer sketches, internal memos, personal letters, and countless other artifacts and ephemera from the film.

Genres: Nonfiction

324 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Darren S. Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University and AFI to study both live-action and animation film theory, where he met long-time collaborator Matthew Libatique. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, "Supermarket Sweep", starring Sean Gullette, which went on to become a National Student Academy Award finalist.

Aronofsky did not make a feature film until five years later, creating the concept for his debut feature, π, in February 1996. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; it won both a Sundance Film Festival award and an Independent Spirit Award. Aronofsky's followup, Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After turning down an opportunity to direct Batman Begins, Aronofsky began production on his third film, The Fountain. The film was released to mixed reviews and poor box office results.

However, his next film, The Wrestler, rebounded with positive reviews and healthy box office. Both of the film's stars, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. Rourke also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen won for Best Original Song for his title song. Aronofsky's next film, Black Swan, received further critical acclaim and many accolades, being nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a record 12 BFCA nominations and a DGA nomination.

Reviews

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren Aronofsky has been one of my favorite directors since I first saw his debut film “Pi” in middle school, nearly a decade after the movie’s release. I found the VHS at my local library (when I first started getting into movies in a serious way), took it home, and watched it on my bedroom TV (oh, the joy of one’s first bedroom TV). At some point, probably a decade ago, I began watching “Pi” every Pi Day (3/14). With the holiday right around the corner, I wanted to finally read the book of journal entries A24 released a couple years ago that were written while Aronofsky was making the movie in the late 1990s.

I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised to realize how engaging Aronofsky’s entries were. He writes about big ideas for the film and also the many daily struggles from pre- to post-production. Throughout the book are sprinkled photos and scans of letters and documents related to the making of the film, presented as many cluttered collages or full-page scans of receipts, faxes, emails, scripts, feedback forms from early screenings, and more. It all comes together in a fascinating way to tell the story of how the movie “Pi” came to be made. But even if the movie isn’t a big part of your life, you can appreciate how the stories he tells must apply to many directors making their debut film.

8/10

[Jackson Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully compiled, essentially a coffee book with gorgeous textured paper.

Decoration aside, Pi’s always been an inspiration and this book only furthered my fixation with this world.

FAITH IN CHAOS

[Jan Grzybek · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will be no order, only chaos!!!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely invigorating stuff. Nothing like making a movie.

[Harrison Rip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special, very niche, but very compelling for any other DIY artist to see the inside scoop on how to make movies.

[Jimmy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read along to the making of a first film.