‘Ascension’ | Movie Review | Tribeca ’21

Directed By:

Jessica Kingdon

An observational documentary, ‘Ascension’ looks in to the work-life culture of China and how that influences their economy, the seperation of the working class and the ultra-wealthy, and what productivity and lack of human rights do to a group of people.

This is the first ‘Observational Documentary’ I’ve ever seen. There’s no interviews, there’s not anything distracting you from what is ont he screen. You start at the working botton class of this society, and throughout the film you ascend into the different working classes and the directing by Jessica Kingdon is so precise.

The visual storytelling in ‘Ascension’ is often heartbreaking. It’s tough to not only watch but also to consider the things wrong in our own country, and how we almost gloriofy the working mindset shown in this film. That idea of glorifying this type of mindset is absolutely horrifying, and that’s the point of the documentary in my mind.

Winning best documentary at Tribeca this year, I can say that this was the most impactful and unique watching experiences I’ve had with a documentary. The direction is wonderful, and not a word is spoken to the audience.

Whenever this is released please go and check it out. It may be a difficult one to get into at the beginning, but it is incredibly worth it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Tribeca At Home

For the first time ever, Tribeca Film Festival is hosting #TribecaAtHome where you can experience the festival from the comfort of your couch!

With a robust lineup of exciting new films, shorts, and documentaries planned, #TribecaAtHome will also include an immersive showcase of 14 VR selections, various podcasts, and game programming.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets

Patrick Beatty
Patrick Beatty

Patrick Beatty is a film critic and creator of PatrickBeattyReviews.com and the Gaggle of Geeks Podcast network. Watch him Friday’s on ABC4 Good Things Utah talk about movies and follow all his work in the link below.

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