The Ascent, directed by Francis Cronin, Edward Drake, and Scott Veltri, is a climbing documentary–true crime hybrid following bilateral amputee Mandy Horvath’s attempt to quite literally crawl up Mt. Kilimanjaro using only her hands and a whole lot of gumption. It’s a captivating stranger-than-fiction account that resists easy categorization, the film ably exploring Mandy’s difficult upbringing, the shocking incident that led to her losing her legs, and the almost superheroic climb that becomes her means of reclaiming both her life and identity. It paints a complicated portrait of determination – one born from a tragic mix of horrifying circumstance and self-destruction – with Mandy remaining a deeply compelling, complex, and sometimes contradictory, central figure. Over the course of the film, we watch her shift from victim to inspirational icon, though not without a good amount of friction… and plenty of blisters.
CONCLUSION: Both gripping and inspirational, ‘The Ascent’ proves to be a documentary worth its salt as it tracks a mountaineer with no legs’ attempt to scale one of the world’s largest peaks.
B
Click here for more coverage of the 2026 Seattle International Film Festival.
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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