For nearly three decades Mark Lee Ping-bin has collaborated with many of the most urgent filmmakers in Asia. As the primary cinematographer to Hou Hsiao-hsien, lensing classics such as A Time to Live and a Time to Die, Goodbye South, Goodbye and Three Times, Lee has altered the visual grammar of filmmaking. documents Lee’s working process and philosophical outlook, as he strives to present a vision of the world to filmgoers. With discussions on Lee’s work with Hou and other Asian master directors with whom Lee has collaborated such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wong Kar-wai and Tran Anh Hung, Lee’s intense and beautiful way of seeing is made clear. His tireless quest to picture things just so, however, does take a toll on Lee’s personal life. His status as an itinerant artist blows him from project to project, leaving his wife and children anchored to their home in Los Angeles without direct access to their husband and father. The demand for Lee’s services is great, and for good reason, as his economical and often fearless ideas have made lasting impact on the stunning design of his films. And it appears that success hasn’t changed Lee, except perhaps in giving him the means and time to delve even more deeply into questions of the esoteric nature of perception. But, as the film offers discreetly, at what price?

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Documentary