Ascension

Ascension - 2021 (Documentary) 2.5 out of 5 stars

What does a rave at a water park, flyboarding, lipstick advertised by the military, a job you get to sit at, and life-sized "dolls" have to do with each other? That's what I'm left wondering after watching the Oscar-nominated documentary "Ascension."

The plot synopsis reads, "The film follows the Chinese dream through the social classes, prioritizing productivity and innovation." that may sound a bit harsh, but I didn't dislike the film for what it's worth. It was a unique look at a world that I had never seen like this before. I had my eyes opened at just how different countries handle capitalism. China is still one of the largest industrialized nations in the world, and this dives into how that title is held.

The most interesting aspect for me was the "How It's Made" style, many scenes simply just showing workers laboring away at their posts. Watching repetitive tasks being done for hours on end was pretty intense. I know that there are assembly-line jobs in the US, but this seemed different. I take for granted some of the things that I just think a machine makes. I'm sure some of the tasks could be automated, but why bother with that when you can pay slave wages to humans. My apologies if that was stern, but so many jobs like this are overlooked and considered "unimportant," that is, until someone is no longer willing to do them.

Capitalism is a terrible thing when it's left unchecked; I don't think this was the entire purpose of this film, but it is one of the things that I took from it. There was an interesting subplot to the film that showed the ranking system in China, just how different two people's lives can be all because of their "social class." I don't pretend to fully understand their society, their prioritizing of industry, or how life works, but this was a look into that world that I hadn't seen before.

Where to watch: Paramount +

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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.

This is a visually stunning documentary about the ideology used in China to acquire acquiescence from the lower class workers in the factories, restaurants, resorts, etc who are sold a dream of one day being able to join the elite classes if they work hard enough. Almost mesmerizing with its cinematography, akin to the dreams of consumerism and the narratives of wealth that are being sold to the underclass workers, the film nicely illustrates the Chinese economy of the present: the same old drudgery and toil simply with a bright and shiny demeanor. I very much enjoyed the first time director's attention to detail and storytelling style and I'm excited to see the films that follow.

"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.