While China is one of the most wealthy and advanced countries in the world, the government’s policies have shrouded much of it in mystery. Well, in the new documentary, “Ascension,” filmmaker Jessica Kingdon pulls the curtain back to reveal the way China has secured its world status on the backs of its citizens and a growing class divide.
With “Ascension” arriving in theaters this week, we’re happy to give our readers an exclusive look at the trailer for the film. As said above, “Ascension” is a documentary that explores the industrial supply chain in China, as the country utilizes incredibly cheap labor and the desperation of the working class to achieve great wealth. The film not only shows the plight of the workers, but it also showcases the uber-wealthy, who make their money off of the labor practices.
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We saw “Ascension” as part of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival (where it won Best Documentary and Best New Documentary Filmmaker), and in our review, we said, “Like Kingdon, [‘Ascension’] seems to know better than to get in the way of the subjects, whose ghostly, blank movements through China’s economic revolution speak more succinctly than any text card or talking head ever could.”
“Ascension” debuts in theaters on October 8. You can watch the exclusive trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Mesmerizing in its imagery and shot in 51 locations across the country, ASCENSION is a cinematic exploration of China’s industrial supply chain that reveals the country’s growing class divide through staggering observations of labor, consumerism and wealth. The film ascends through the levels of the capitalist structure: workers running factory production, the middle class selling to aspirational consumers, and the elites reveling in a new level of hedonistic enjoyment. In traveling up the rungs of China’s social ladder, we see how each level supports and makes possible the next while recognizing the contemporary “Chinese Dream” remains an elusive fantasy for most.