Director Larissa Shepitko’s transcendent, metaphysical masterpiece, The Ascent, takes place in a Byelorussian war zone of occupation, captivity and collaboration. The film alternates between Breughel-esque winter landscapes and tightly shot interiors as we examine the consciences and fates of two Soviet prisoners of war. The film took best prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 1977, and remains a completely unique example of Shepitko’s cinematic vision, on a par with the greatest films of Tarkovsky and Paradjanov.
American Cinematheque

Larissa Shepitko (1939-1979), who was killed in an automobile accident in early July while on location for a film, was one of the most talented filmmakers in the new generation of Soviet directors. She appeared in September 1977 at PFA with The Ascent; those who attended this event are not likely to forget the impression made by the film and its author – a vibrant Ukrainian woman, whose openness of spirit and seriousness of artistic purpose elevated the post-screening discussion far above the usual question/answer routine. The Ascent won the Grand Prize at the 1977 Berlin Film Festival, and introduced Shepitko’s work to West European audiences and critics. Her previous films – Heat (1963), Wings (1966), and You And I (1971) – aroused great controversy and have seen only limited distribution within and outside of Russia. However, among filmmakers and enlightened critics lucky enough to see them, all are considered masterworks. Another film, Homeland Of Electricity (1968), was apparently completely banned and has not even seen limited distribution in the USSR.

On the surface, The Ascent begins as an ordinary Russian or East European film about the partisan struggle against the Nazis in occupied areas. However, about midway through The Ascent an extraordinary psychological drama unfolds – centering on a Russian collaborator whose characterisation is unique in all Soviet Cinema – which lifts the film to another dimension, to Christian allegory and beyond, to the level of a work of art which speaks to moral questions very much alive and unresolved today.
– Pacific Film Archive