Genre Comedy

The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia (2019)

Item: The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia
Rating: 2.5
Author: Ross McLaren

★★½ — The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia (2019)

The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia is a short animated science fiction comedy from 2019, running at just 45 minutes and sitting comfortably in the kind of territory that mainstream cinema almost never touches: the inner logic of UFO cults, the seductive pull of belonging, and the slow erosion of individual identity when someone surrenders themselves to a belief system. The story follows a young woman who receives a VHS tape informing her that she is a disciple of an alien species called the "True Mothers." She joins a local cult led by its peculiar founder, Ascensia, takes on a new name, and begins building friendships with her fellow members. It sounds, on paper, like fertile ground for both dark comedy and social commentary, and it is the kind of premise that sits in a tradition of cult-focused satire stretching back decades in American independent film and fiction.

The film was produced through CalArts, the California Institute of the Arts, which has been the training ground for a significant strand of American animation for generations. That institutional context matters here: CalArts student and graduate work has historically given licence to experimentation, to lo-fi aesthetics and unconventional storytelling, in ways that commercial studios simply do not allow. Director Jonni Peppers, working with a voice cast including Haein Michelle Heo, Jenna Caravello, Charlotte Pryce, Benni Quintero, and Gary Mairs, brings an unmistakably underground sensibility to the project. If you have spent any time with other films operating in this space, whether animated science fiction with a philosophical bent like Fantastic Planet, or more recent independent animation such as No Dogs or Italians Allowed, you will recognise the instinct here: to use the freedoms of animation as a way of saying something that live action, with all its literalism, struggles to articulate.

Since its release, the film has developed a genuine cult reputation of its own (which is either pleasingly appropriate or a bit on the nose, depending on your mood). Its admirers tend to point to its surreal visual language, its willingness to lean into discomfort, and its pointed observations about conformity, group psychology, and the search for meaning. It occupies a specific and rather committed niche in independent American animation, and for its audience, it appears to have landed with some force. Whether that reputation holds up as a viewing experience for everyone is, of course, another matter, and that is precisely what we are here to find out.

The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia is one of those films where I wanted to like it more than I actually do. I can see why it’s gathered such a cult following, fans praise its ambition, its surreal tone, and its biting social commentary on belief systems, conformity, and the collapse of meaning. And sure, there are ideas here worth unpacking. But for me, it just didn’t connect. The animation is super low-budget rough, shaky, often bordering on illegible. The art style feels less like intentional rawness and more like unfinished sketches slapped together with limited resources. Characters move stiffly, backgrounds repeat endlessly, and the visual chaos sometimes distracts from whatever point the film is trying to make. It has a certain underground charm, yes, but not enough to overcome how hard it is to watch at times. Then there’s the script and voice acting, both felt flat to me. The performances lack nuance, and without stronger writing or direction, the satire doesn’t bite as deep as it wants to. You can tell it’s trying to be challenging, even revolutionary, but it mistakes confusion for depth. I couldn’t engage with it the way so many others have. I don’t doubt its sincerity or importance in indie animation circles. I just didn’t feel it. Giving it a lower score feels almost unfair, given the passion behind it… but honestly? It doesn’t work for me as a film. A noble experiment, perhaps, but not a successful one.

I keep coming back to that word, "experiment," because it does feel like the most honest way to frame what Peppers is attempting here. There is something genuinely admirable about the ambition, and I would always rather watch a short film that swings for something unusual than one that settles for polished but unremarkable competence. But admiration and enjoyment are different things, and I found myself feeling more like an observer of the film's intentions than an actual participant in them. If you are curious about where independent animation is doing its most adventurous work, it is probably still worth an hour of your evening, if only to form your own view. I just would not go in expecting it to all click into place. Sometimes a noble experiment is exactly that, and nothing more.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2025-11-01

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Trailer

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