Critic Reviews

In Fiona Tan’s glorious ode to a Japanese volcano, Mount Fuji is both geological marvel and malleable symbol, its solidity and grandeur inspiring conquest and contemplation.

Fiona Tan’s comprehensive project discriminates against no particular era or pedigree of imagery.

Ultimately, Ascent is a genuinely poetic portrait of a place, and various people’s relation to it.

Ascent sometimes lives up to its title by proving a slog, not fully earning its feature-length running time. But the film nonetheless exerts fascination with its haunting imagery.