Ascensão

One of the most shocking and poignant documentaries I've ever seen. The insanity that humans create by simply never being satisfied. A massive nation whose whole drive is to be more driven and successful even if it means sacrificing there life to get what they think they want. A truly astonishing film that I recommend everyone watch.

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.

A glimpse into a dystopian nightmare. It's also ironic how similar their situation is similar to that of America's, and sad that people cannot even comprehend it.

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.

"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.