In the wake of a new ultra affluent class, businesses that cater to the elite proliferate with mandates that condone dehumanization in the name of advancement. Shots of a rave or at a water park touch on that, but only in passing. When the film moves from looking at marginalized the masses to zeroing in on those convinced they can attain a spot at the top, “Ascension” seems to be missing a longer note on how the hyper-society has changed interpersonal relationships. And in the digital age, physical goods are far from the most coveted acquisition, but the introduction of personal branding as pathway to riches has entrapped many, with an “instructor” flat out noting knowledge has no value if it can’t be monetized. The myth of trickle-down economics to achieve a redistribution of wealth is also invoked. The people on camera repeatedly hint at how concerned Chinese corporations are with surpassing the United States. The idealized figures embody the utter commodification of every aspect of existence, with even sexual satisfaction being sold as customizable. Plastic heads and inert torsos welcome us to one of the film's most dystopian sequences, about the fabrication of erotic dolls made to order, with clients providing input on minutia about these synthetic bodies being assembled, ironically, by women. One young woman wears a jacket that reads, “Be a Daydreamer, It’s Not Bad,” for a moment of cruel irony. To help the viewer remember the humanity amid the insatiable manufacturing, Kingdon steals glimpses of workers fighting sleep. Companies seek working bees existing solely to increase productivity, except if you are even a day older than 38, in that case you no longer have value in this work force.
#THE CHINESE FEAST FULL MOVIE MANUAL#
The dismal perks, enticing in this context, include being able to do manual labor while sitting down or having a dorm located within walking distance to the factory. In a city center, recruiters call for prospective employees to enumerate the specifications of the open positions. These generic platitudes place the burden of poverty and lack of opportunities on those most affected by them, and read as unimaginably facetious following the quite literal job market Kingdon opens with. Slogans plastered across urban spaces preach hard work as a means to a greater quality of life, mantras not unfamiliar to those of us in the West.
Their faces are accompanied by an ominous score from composer Dan Deacon. Kingdon’s imagery meanwhile gives the impression of spontaneity but communicates loudly who the beneficiaries and the victims are of relentless industrial growth. On a broader scale, “Ascension” stands as a spiritual cousin to Rahul Jain’s “ Machines,” an Indian film about the exploitation of poor individuals in a textile factory, but with its sights set upwards as it tracks the different layers of the Chinese social strata. As engrossing as it’s alarming, the documentary flows with a stream of consciousness about the illusion of the “Chinese Dream.” Without blunt commentary other than the subtext Kingdon instills through the curation of the material, and some candid remarks of anonymous subjects, "Ascension" ruminates on many places of employment and career-advancement programs.
0 kommentar(er)
