Pi

Plagued by migraines and haunted by visions of Judaism, a mathematician uses his homemade supercomputer Euclid to apply the number Pi both to the stock market and to the ancient Hebrew text of the Torah. The first could make him a fortune. The second could reveal the secret of the universe. The results turn out to be identical. But then problems arise: stock market analysts and religious fanatics start chasing him—and his mind begins to unravel.

Shot on contributions of a hundred dollars each from friends and family, Pi earned debut director Darren Aronofsky one of the top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival and brought in several million dollars. Everyone who invested a hundred bucks got back 150. Later, Aronofsky would make Requiem for a Dream and achieve true fame.