Visually arresting and breathtakingly intimate, Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas combines cinema verité with awe-inspiring dance sequences to reveal the singular vision of world-renowned choreographer Crystal Pite. Culminating in a cinematically immersive live performance of her acclaimed ballet Angels’ Atlas, the film follows Pite and a group of dancers at The National Ballet of Canada as they remount the ambitious ballet after a two-year shutdown due to COVID-19. Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas grants audiences unprecedented access into Pite’s creative process, through candid interviews and intimate rehearsal footage. Directed by Chelsea McMullan, who is known for their cinematic collaborations with artists including Tanya Tagaq (Ever Deadly, TIFF 2022) and Rae Spoon (My Prairie Home, Sundance 2013), the film builds toward a raw and emotional opening night, which marks the National Ballet’s first production back from lockdown. A testament to the potency of live performance, the documentary elements eventually give way to an uninterrupted cinematic capture of Pite’s 30-minute ballet. Set against a shifting backdrop of reflective light, the work explores themes of grief, loss, and the delicate nature of connection, themes made only more resonant under the shadow of an ongoing pandemic. Visually arresting and emotionally resonant, Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas unveils the creative process of a world-renowned artist while paying homage to the ephemeral beauty of human bodies, together in motion.