MovieChat Forums > Pi (1998) Discussion > Better debut: Following or Pi?

Better debut: Following or Pi?

posted 13 years ago by amwyr4
7 replies | jump to latest

They both came out in 1998. They are both in black and white. They are both the feature film debuts of two of the most talented filmmakers working today. Which first film do you prefer?

I like Following better, giving it an 8, than Pi, which I gave a 7. This may be because I prefer Christopher Nolan slightly more than Darren Aronofsky. However, I think Following succeeds on multiple levels considering he was on such a miniscule budget (it was made on $6,000, Pi was made on $60,000), compared to the stunning Pi, which I think has somewhat of a jumbled screenplay.

[–] QuixoteDon 13 years ago

This is just a personal opinion but I think Pi is a better movie. The only Nolans movies that I really liked were Memento and The Dark Knight and I've seen them all as well as Aronofskys. Aronofsky makes much more personal film in my opinion and I absolutely love The Fountain.

The reason Pi holds a special place for me is because it was the movie that made seek out other great filmmaker auteurs of the past like Bergman, Tarkovskiy , Fellini, etc. and made me realize what cinema can be. Prier to that I held men such as Stanley Kubrick to be the best. But they were more of a mainstream filmmakers but once I saw Pi, it opened up my eyes to the possibility of what movies can be...

[–] amwyr4 13 years ago

It's funny, because Following and Memento served that purpose for me. When Memento's closing credits rolled, all my previous notions about what film was had changed. And like you, I delved into Bergman, Fellini, Godard, and Truffaut, among others soon after.
I completely agree about The Fountain. It got very mixed reviews from critics, but I think it is one of the more underrated movies of the 2000s. I don't think his films are necessarily more personal though. Memento, Inception (for a summer blockbuster of its magnitude, it is extremely intimate) and even Insomnia could be considered greatly personal films.
It will be interesting to see how Aronofsky does with a larger budget on Noah. I'm not sure 'going bigger' will fit his style as well as Nolan's, but we'll see.

[–] mattstevens 12 years ago

It is not possible to say which film is better. They are both different types of films. All they share is B&W photography and feature film debut of a director.

Personally, I love them both. I can watch them both, any time.

[–] dilandjr 11 years ago

I saw Pi no less than 5 minutes ago, and was comparing it to Following the entire time. I am a Nolan fanboy, so I like him more than Aronofsky, but this is currently my favorite indie film. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was facinated by the plot, and the concept of numbers in religon and stocks kept me enthralled. Following is the only Nolan movie I have not given a 9 or 10 to. I was confused and uninterested up until the last 5 minutes or so. So if we are talking about filmography, Nolan wins, but debut-wise I loved Pi just too much.

[–] Movie_Piranha_1979 10 years ago

IMO Pi

Prostitute: What the *beep* are you doing?
Johnny: I'm gonna kill a bunch of people.

[–] amwyr4 10 years ago

I compared the two in length on my blog:
http://dwendt212.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/auteur-debuts-comparing-nolans-following-and-aronofskys-pi/

[–] t-g-1998 10 years ago

Following

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