Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » TRIBECA 2021: ‘Ascension’ Is a Masterful Dive Into China’s Workplace Culture

TRIBECA 2021: ‘Ascension’ Is a Masterful Dive Into China’s Workplace Culture

Ricardo GallegosBy Ricardo Gallegos06/13/20214 Mins Read
Ascension
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Ascension

Through silent observation, Jessica Kingdon’s extraordinary documentary Ascension immerses us in the Chinese workplace culture to allow us to draw our own conclusions about progress.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The “workforce” tour is total and engaging. Kingdon first visits a busy job market, where large billboards and recruiters with megaphones advertise numerous job openings, the conditions for obtaining them, and if any, the privileges of being hired. Free Wi-fi, lodging minutes away from the factory, or the privilege of sitting while working are some of the best perks available.

Next, Ascension takes us to factories, assemblers, and even a bicycle graveyard to observe the hypnotic work processes, as well as the final results. And among all this, we hear glimpses of conversations about the relationships between worker and employer. Still, outside of that, the identity of these people seems lost among infinitely repetitive tasks.

A woman embroiders the slogan “Make American Great” on some jeans, a Youtuber gives a beauty tutorial, and, in one of the most fascinating sequences, a group of women mold, assemble, makeup, and photograph life-size dolls with huge breasts intended to be used as sex toys. The images speak for themselves, and Jessica Kingdon doesn’t have to explain. She doesn’t judge either; she just watches and lets us watch so that we can be the judges. 

Not everything stays in factories. We see new workers go through a boot camp to learn to respect and be loyal to the company. They are workers turned into Chinese soldiers learning to sacrifice their individuality. Later, we attend bodyguard training, a session on “how to monetize your personal brand,” and etiquette courses, where the speaker coldly breaks down how to do something as simple as receiving and giving a hug. It seems like a satire, but it is real.

Dan Deacon’s original score is more than a companion to this labor orchestra; the music, at times slightly disturbing, feeds a robotic atmosphere with futuristic overtones. It draws you in.

The cinematography has power. With the help of Nathan Truesdell, Kingdon dazzles through panoramic and artistic shots of the various places we visit. The focus is on the worker. When we are at a party, we see everything from the DJ’s perspective. In the middle of a crowded water park, we can see lifeguards frantically keeping an eye on the hundreds (or maybe thousands) of people swimming around them. We learn a little about every profession, but that’s not the main objective of the film.

Gradually, Ascension moves through society until reaching an upper-class dinner where elites paradoxically speak of their love for the country and their longing for freedom. Like the lower class, they have in their heads the idea of reaching the “Chinese Dream.”

Society has sold these workers the promise of the Chinese Dream, but what exactly is that dream? Is it learning to endure insults from bosses in a butler academy? Is it working all alone, repeating mundane tasks for hours? Is it falling asleep at a table during an exhausting workday? Is it going to the company’s party and be told that “wealth only goes to whoever deserves it” by the rich boss? Jessica Kingdon allows us to draw our own conclusions.

The amount of labor examples compiled by Ascension is staggering, and no piece feels out of place because each one is aimed at the same goal: to showcase Chinese ideas of productivity and the manipulation of the workforce. China’s economy is booming at the cost of individuality. Everyone seems to be a cog caught in a machine of consumerism.

Ascension had its World Premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, where it will be available to stream until June 23.

Ascension
  • 9.5/10
    Rating - 9.5/10
9.5/10

TL;DR

The amount of labor examples compiled by Ascension is staggering and no piece feels out of place because each one is aimed at the same goal: to showcase Chinese ideas of productivity and the manipulation of the workforce.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 100 – “The New Power And All For One”
Next Article TRIBECA 2021: ‘Wu Hai’ Is an Engaging Descent Into Financial and Emotional Misery
Ricardo Gallegos

Ricardo is a Mexico City-based bilingual writer, Certified Rotten Tomatoes film critic and Digital Animation graduate. He loves cats, Mass Effect, Paddington and is the founder of the film website “La Estatuilla.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here