  
An understanding of the idea of a dual narrative is central to a broader understanding of Aronofsky’s work.
In both Pi and Requiem, the stylistic elements run a parallel course to the plot narrative. This is easily
observable in Requiem, as the cuts speed up as the film nears its conclusion. Independent of story, the viewer is
drawn into the cinematic tension, not simply because of what he or she is seeing on the screen, but additionally by how
they are seeing it.
Sound is an essential companion to visual style in this second narrative. In Pi, for example, the
sound of the phone ringing acts as more than just a signifier of an incoming call - it is an intrusion on Max’s private
world. As the film progresses, his increasing reluctance to answer it, and finally his complete ignorance to its
existence speaks to his condition of isolation and paranoia.
Aronofsky collaborated with composer Clint Mansell for both Pi and Requiem for a Dream. As
Mansell says, fostering this relationship is crucial in order for the sound element of both films to carry more than a
superficial meaning: "Ennio Morricone… the way he worked with Sergio Leone, the way Angelo Badalamenti works with David
Lynch, and to a certain extent the way Shore works with Cronenberg, these directors built relationships with their
composers which allowed more things to come through than just music and visuals."
Pi is doubtless influenced by its music and environmental sounds, but Requiem takes this
aesthetic to a new level. Again, to quote Mansell: "the movie wasn’t strictly edited to the music, but they were very
influential on each other." In fact, the two form a kind of symbiotic relationship, where the film dictates what the
music should be doing, just as the music dictates what can and should be on the screen. Pacing is another key element
reflected in the music of Requiem: "All the cuts in the final section of the film get mathematically faster;
they happen in the same space but quicker, in half the time again and then half of that and so on, and it was all
mathematically worked out so I had to be aware of those when I was speeding up the track." Here, Mansell reveals the
predominance of Aronofsky’s preconceived plan for the film, but upon viewing Requiem, it feels as though the
characters are being pushed faster and faster, into more and more chaotic situations, by the music itself.
The intertwining of music and sound that would naturally occur in the character’s world is another
interesting element of sound design in Requiem, and to a lesser extent, in Pi. Often in Requiem,
the music seems to stem directly from an action that is taking place on screen. For example: "there’s a scene in the
film where they’re dealing drugs and there’s a drumbeat and a keyboard riff and a melody from me going but it’s really
driven by the sounds of the cash register and cutting up the drugs, and all that had to work with the cutting and
music to work as an assault on the senses." It is this barrage of sensory information that creates the impact of
Requiem, and coordination among the elements of image, narrative, sound design and music, all set to the frantic
pace of Aronofsky’s editing style is what makes both Requiem and Pi such striking films.
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