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Poster for The Ascent

The Ascent

Seen it?

1977 | 110 min | Drama, War

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for history buffs. If you loved Schindler's List or Conspiracy, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 50 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1977: an older pace and style.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

During a freezing WWII winter, two Soviet partisans on a mission to gather food contend with the temperature, the occupying Germans, and their own psyches.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.9 out of 10

  • AwardsSolid

    Won 1 Berlin award: Golden Bear.

  • Reach & staying powerWeak

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 57K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Larisa Shepitko

  • Boris PlotnikovSotnikov
  • Vladimir GostyukhinRybak
  • Anatoliy SolonitsynPortnov, Collaborationist Interrogator
  • Lyudmila PolyakovaAvginya Demchikha, the Mother
  • Viktoriya GoldentulBasya Meyer, the Girl
  • Sergei YakovlevPetr Sych, Village Elder
  • Mariya VinogradovaVillage Elder's Wife
  • Mykola SektymenkoStas Gomenyuk, Collaborationist Policeman
  • Leonid YukhinPartisan Commander
  • Aleksandr ZvenigorskiyGerman Officer