A Personal Ascent Against Hardship

Read Time:5 Minute, 11 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Ascending Beyond Shadows
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Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 10 minutes
Director(s): Patrick Civitelli
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Art is Alive Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: ASCENDING BEYOND SHADOWS is a reminder that the most powerful journeys don’t need massive runtimes or sweeping narration to feel profound. Through the lens of rock climbing, this short documentary explores how one person turns a physically demanding pursuit into a lifeline — a means of coping with hardship and refusing to let struggle define his future. Director Patrick Civitelli approaches this emotional reality not through sentimental overstatement but through earned perspective, showing how climbing becomes less a sport and more a path toward healing.

The film follows Tristin Reeder, who isn’t presented as a superhuman adventurer scaling impossible cliffs. He’s simply someone who found a constructive outlet when life felt heavy. That accessibility is one of the short’s greatest strengths. Viewers don’t need to know climbing terms or have experience with chalk-covered holds to understand why movement matters to him. The personal becomes universal: we all want something that gets us out of our own heads, something that helps us believe we can overcome what weighs us down.

Civitelli’s filmmaking style is intimate, yet confident. There’s no attempt to overproduce the environment or force artificial drama. Climbing itself provides enough tension — every reach, every foothold represents a choice to keep rising, even when gravity and doubt work against you. Tristin’s voice — whether spoken aloud or communicated through action — becomes the core narrative structure. He reflects on how climbing became a therapeutic process, a reason to stay grounded by reaching upward. That contrast is poetic in a grounded way. He doesn’t present himself as someone who has solved everything or left hardship behind; the film portrays him as someone still actively choosing progress. That honesty resonates with the viewer!

The documentary gives space for silence, for physical exertion to convey what words can’t. These moments emphasize how healing often happens between sentences — in the quiet focus that keeps intrusive thoughts at bay. It’s in these pauses that ASCENDING BEYOND SHADOWS elevates itself beyond a simple hobby showcase. It proves that climbing isn’t just something Tristin does; it’s somewhere he chooses to exist when everything else feels uncertain emotionally.

Short documentaries often struggle with finding a complete arc within their limited runtime. Civitelli navigates that challenge with thought and care. Rather than overloading viewers with backstory, he shows just enough of where Tristin has been to clarify why climbing matters now. It’s less about past trauma and more about present course correction that he is getting from climbing. The audience doesn’t need every detail to understand that each wall holds a piece of his recovery.

There’s a humility running through the film that reflects a real independent documentary spirit. It doesn’t push a dramatic transformation narrative or demand applause for perseverance. Instead, it embraces authenticity. It celebrates progress that isn’t flashy — the kind that happens quietly, one inch at a time. That understated style aligns perfectly with the ethos of the Art Is Alive Film Festival, focusing on passion over spectacle and human experience over prestige.

The film hints at a much larger story. The brief runtime offers only a glimpse into Tristin’s relationship with climbing, and viewers who connect with his journey may find themselves wanting a deeper dive — more insight into where this passion has taken him and how it continues to reshape his outlook. But leaving us wanting more is often a sign that a short film has succeeded. It sparks curiosity and empathy, rather than closing the book too quickly.

One of the documentary’s most resonant themes centers on reclaiming control. Life can knock us off balance, and grief or hardship can strip away a sense of direction. Climbing demands the opposite — constant engagement, constant recalibration, constant effort. When Tristin climbs, the only way is up. That metaphor doesn’t feel cliché here; it feels earned because we see the real work behind each ascent.

ASCENDING BEYOND SHADOWS ultimately makes a quiet but important statement: recovery isn’t always loud. Healing doesn’t need to be dramatic to be powerful. For Tristin, climbing isn’t an escape — it’s a return to himself, a chance to face challenge willingly and prove that progress is possible. The rope, the rock wall, and the resolve become a partnership between body and mind.

This film stands as a testament to the strength of truthful storytelling. It uplifts without romanticizing struggle. It respects the idea that hobbies aren’t trivial — sometimes they are a matter of survival. By shining a light on one person’s path out of emotional darkness, Civitelli honors the resilience that so many keep hidden.

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[photo courtesy of EAGLE CLAW FILMS]

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