Moving and beautiful

Rating: 8/10 (13 February 2016)

Ang Lee is a great filmmaker. From his early Taiwanese films like Eat Drink Man Woman to his later Hollywood productions like Brokeback Mountain, he has probably never made a bad film. (And with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon he created an unparallelled masterpiece in the history of cinema.)
Pi does not disappoint, either. In fact, the beginning of the movie is a genuine surprise. I had to check it was really Ang Lee who directed the film, because it looked and felt exactly like Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work (whose unique visual and storytelling style I also happen to love). Later I learnt that it was actually Jeunet who was originally slated to direct Pi, and he had done a great deal of work on the film until he dropped out. Ang Lee emulates his style so successfully in the opening scenes that I am thoroughly convinced he could direct a true Jeunet movie any time.
But he adds his own touch to the film, as well. As always, he elicits great performances from the cast, and fills the screen with haunting images. Like all of his movies, Pi is beautiful, meaningful, deeply moving and has that visceral, eye-opening, lump-in-the-throat moment at the end that an Ang Lee film never fails to deliver.