The Ascent

The Ascent (Voskhozhdenie) (1977)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Larisa Shepitko

Starring: Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Sergey Yakovlev, Lyudmila Polyakova, Viktoriya Goldentul

From: Mosfilm

The past few years, March has become an eagerly anticipated month for me. This is due to the tradition of March Around the World on Letterboxd, where people watch foreign pictures for all 31 days. I have never officially participated but I still see more than a dozen pictures from all around the world. Besides getting to see what others have checked out, it has inspired me to give some films a shot and see works from less renowned countries. Via the Criterion Channel I went with the final film of Soviet director Larisa Shepitko, a motion picture which has gained more recognition in the West in recent times, undoubtedly due at least in part to Criterion releasing it on disc as part of their Eclipse series.

The plot is deceptively simple: during World War II, a pair of soldiers that are part of a small regiment are tasked to look for supplies and food in what is now Belarus and was at the time occupied by the Germans. Things go wrong and the two are separated; they each have to make an astoundingly difficult choice and the ramifications are felt the rest of the way. It'd be a crime to reveal more; an important aspect to mention is that this black and white picture is deliberately paced but never boring as the duo wrestles with horrible situations set in a snowy landscape, with frequent closeups, bold symbolism and what I've read described as “heightened sound design.”

The Ascent is bleak yet intriguing, full of philosophical thought, a searing look at such topics as the weakness of man and allegories of religion and Communism as the choices the two make in dire situations also has a direct impact on innocent parties, and not just their fellow soldiers. They have to wrestle with their choices and the complexities that each man has to deal with in the aftermath; what a devastating ending. Even more tragic than the events of The Ascent is that it was the last movie from director Larisa Shepitko before she passed away in 1979 after a traffic accident. I know she sometimes had struggles in her life, at times having stay in a sanitarium. She was only 41 when she died; who knows how many more classics she could have made and if there would have been others that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, as this did. What is certain: she belongs in the discussion of “best women directors of all time” even if only a few feature films were made.