Ascension

"Ascension" (2021 release; 97 min.) is an American documentary about the pursuit of the Chinese dream. As the movie opens, we see how companies in China like Huawei and Foxconn aggressively recruit new factory workers with the promise of being able to sit while working, A/C in the dorms, and good food. We then find ourselves on the factory floor, where the workers are doing mind-numbing serial factory work... At this point we are less than 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut of longtime short documentarian Jessica Kingdon (she is also the movie's producer, writer, photographer and editor, truly a one-woman army!). Kingdon, a Chinese -American, comes up with absolutely amazing footage from dozens of sites in China. I can't help but wonder to what extent, if any, Kingdon had to get permission from local, state or national authorities to film all this. Much of the footage we get is simply the footage plus the electronic score (courtesy of Dan Deacon) but at times we get to listen in on discussions between the individuals (mostly employees) themselves. Check out the fascinating discussion between the butlers-in-training late in the film, where one comments that "Big Uncle Xi", a/k/a China's President (for life) has done "so much good:" while another opines that she likes the US "because I yearn for freedom". The financial and social inequality in China is staggering, as this film makes clear (Of course this is true in many other countries, including the US, but few of them are Communist-controlled.) Whether you like or don't like China, it is undeniably a rising power and a fascinating place. I had the good fortune of spending time in China for my work in the late 00s (the "good ol' days" of expanding trade between the US and China). If you even have a chance to visit China, don't hesitate! Bottom line: "Ascension" is a remarkable documentary about the pursuit of the Chinese dream (even if the pursuit of happiness doesn't seem all that urgent or pressing).

"Ascension" premiered on the film festival circuit last summer to good critical buzz (there is a reason this movie is currently rated 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was picked up my MTV Documentaries and started streaming on Paramount + last Fall. I saw an ad for this the other day in the New York Times, and was intrigues. Glad I checked it out. Of course I encourage you to check it out yourself, and draw your own conclusion.

1. For one who grow up and live in this country, this documentary gives me no new information than what I've known. It's kind of like a collection of contemporary topics in China. Maybe for foreigners, some parts of it are shocking.

2. And this point 1, kind of a defect, goes directly to the numbness of people, including me. We've lived with so many ridiculous phenomena and how have we got so numb for all these matters?

3. Everyone will become one of the dolls -- not a human, but a thing, a doll.

4. The reason why I'm not giving it a higher score: the problem this film wants to talk about need more materials. It can become a 3 hours film or even longer.

A visually hypnotic documentary that observes the relentless monotony of the enormous Chinese machine. You get a real sense of the plague of absolute capitalism that is driving that machine -- to what is already global domination and will eventually, decades from now, lead to a desperate collapse, similar to the one America is having right now.

More a series of vignettes than a coherent whole, this is a fascinating documentary neverthless.

Focusing on the modern China and the multitudes of professions that dwell within, it takes a scalpel to the oft cited Chinese dream. A traverse thru the diverse Chinese working class landscape it attempts to show how the underclass is being groomed with the promise of a better tomorrow.

There's arresting imagery and by the end the viewer gets a fair idea of how the class heirarchy works. This is laser focussed on the working class and the only brush with the elite is thru the tools embraced by the elite - the fancy restaurants or the cosmetic industry.

One wonders though, how the director managed to pull this off.

Was it intriguing to anyone else how luxurious this document looked? Especially as the film in part strongly wishes to state that everything that glitters is not twitter gold.

The film is from 2021 (and footage before) so the tale likely has changed somewhat. Certainly the world has, but there is a core here that does not change over time and over borders/oceans.

There was an Economist Podcast on President Xi I listened to a while back. Granted anything that fits in a short review or even a multi-part podcast trying to describe China will wind up too narrow, however one message from that recalled the old English sententia : a rising tide floats all boats.

That if Xi could spread enough financial success across many classes/divides, some other freedoms and concerns could be overlooked. That seems to wash up here as well, from the aquariums to the wine tasting to the water parks to the technicolor jellyfish. Shot sure lingered on them.

Is that us, consumers consumed by capitalistic tides?

I've seen other reviewers ask how is it possible that Kingdon got such access. First China is not North Korea (although they surely keep that crazy empire afloat). Also is this film pretty damning on the ventures of capitalism. Am I right Young Pioneers? Heard about this via my son's documentary film class at UCSC, and suspect it was met with resounding applause.

The film shows more than it says, which is good for me. Some of the influencer/butler dreaming of a better way are so sad to see for me. Granted my level of desperation and delusion may be intertwined and fortunately low.

Yes I've been to meetings where people want me to chant along to some slogan, and all of my energy goes to not rolling my eyes. And I never think I will be kicked to the ground and have to do push-ups.

But if you really believe such denigration is a (the only?) way up and out, well maybe you would show the right number of teeth, and slap your co-worker as hard as possible.

Clearly the camera is not a candid spy here. People are very aware of its presence. Painfully so at times. Thus I'm hesitant to paint with too broad a brush. People may have more dignity than fits in high-definition clips.

The movie moves with force, and Dan Deacon's soundtrack certainly helps. Turn it off at times and watch, it's quite a different experience. My son and his class are going to watch Koyaanisqatsi too. The films while different share a sort of vibe and approach, dare I say Deacon's soundtrack is more expansive than Glass's?

Some of the drone shots made me think that while an eagle can see a lot from so high, it cannot eat.

Anyways, I will seek out other films from Kingdon, and finish her Tribeca Q&A bonus on this disc, I had to pause that to not have it tell me what I thought about the movie. Thought reform comes in many ways and waves.

Two long shot connections.

First, watching the water park and some other dense scenes eerily reminded me of "Mad God." Which if you want an over-the-top look at mass mulch mankind merchandising, and in often gruesome stop-animation no less, you might want to check out.

Secondly, at times I found myself thinking about the Westworld HBO series. Well, the first season or two, in part due to the effectiveness in Deacon's score. It makes me sad actually, as I need to believe in a little dignity for all people, on all parts of the globe.

My last thought in watching the people on character throwing themselves so into their dream/duties, is that China may not just out-number the USA, but beat us at some of our dangerous delusions.

And yes, I know the USA has long fed its excesses off of China, from container ships and fentanyl caravans. I hope the USA does not return that dubious favor.