By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Shane Carruth
Starring: Amy Seimetz | Andrew Sensenig | Kathy Carruth | Meredith Burke | Shane Carruth | Thiago Martin
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084989/combined
Jason says: “For all that the interconnectedness of today’s world can make it harder for something to truly take one by surprise – there’s non-stop casting news, coverage, previews, and analysis of it commercial and artistic outlook to the point where a person can feel sick of a movie weeks before it opens in theaters. And yet, the same tools that enable that also mean that somebody with the talent to take on multiple jobs can make something that’s kind of amazing even if it does take few enough resources that it barely shows up on the radar, meaning it’s possible to go in not knowing what to expect. That’s the case with UPSTREAM COLOR, Shane Carruth’s first film since PRIMER, his equally-but-differently-peculiar debut almost a decade ago.
“Kris (Amy Seimetz) is a mess, working a job well below what she was once capable of and feeling angry and confused much of the time. Jeff (Carruth) falls for her anyway, feeling a strange connection beyond the usual; though outwardly more in-sync with the world around him, he’s got issues of his own. As they pull together, they may eventually discover just what was going on with Kris during the first half-hour of the movie.
“It’s admittedly kind of unusual to skip over the beginning of a movie when giving the audience a taste of what it’s about, but UPSTREAM COLOR is an unusual movie in that it pushes its more fantastical elements early before coming to rest in a more conventional situation. The viewer gets a double-sized serving of disorientation, with much of the first act being the sort of strangeness that other films would plunge into only after establishing a familiar world and a main character to identify with. This makes for a weirdly inverted sort of movie, where the old ‘everything you know is wrong’ trope less a chance to prove doubters wrong than a wound that it may not be possible to heal from.
“That’s a heck of a burden to place on an actress, but Amy Seimetz is more than up to it. The audience gets little more than moments to form an idea of what the baseline Kris is like before the movie starts putting her through the wringer. As the story unfolds, its main character shifts and reshapes on an almost constant basis, expressing herself in unusual ways, and Seimetz not only makes this instability seem like part of her rather than an excuse to have the character behave arbitrarily, but she handles what must have been odd descriptions of Kris’s motivation without trouble. Carruth is good as well; Jeff is not nearly so damaged as Kris, and is even cheerful at first (it’s kind of cute how he chases after her), but as the film goes no, Carruth brings out his own issues quite nicely.
“The two most noteworthy supporting performances, from Andrew Sensenig and Thiago Martins are nice, even if they by design don’t reveal a lot about their characters. Attentive viewers will learn enough, though, even without any exposition; Carruth does an excellent job of showing the audience just enough to make connections, reinforcing it as necessary without saying ‘hey, this bit is about to become important’ too loudly, and leaving out just enough for there to be some mystery – learning to live without all the answers is an important possibility (credit also to co-editor David Lowery). Some of the imagery used to convey all this is strange, but also kind of beautiful.
“Maybe this is too much information; after all, one of the special joys of seeing UPSTREAM COLOR right now (during its festival tour and initial release) is being able to discover it without reading a plot synopsis first. That’s not a necessary condition; otherwise it wouldn’t be worth seeing twice, and I actually look forward to seeing it again, if only to see how densely it’s packed with things to discover and connect. 4.5 cats”
Michael says: “Managed to catch UPSTREAM COLOR this week, and Shane Carruth’s follow-up to the nearly indecipherable PRIMER is well worth a look. While some have called it more of a cinematic poem than a narrative, I would go even further and call it a cinematic narrative poem, because there is definitely a story there. Combining a romance with elements of science fiction and metaphysics, Carruth, who wrote, directed, scored, and stars in the film, has created a powerful examination of our relationships with each other, and with the larger world. Gorgeous, memorable visuals, a compelling soundscape, and a story that is thought-provoking in its complexity all add up to one heckuva film experience. Add to that a terrific performance by
lead actress Amy Seimetz and you’ve got a real winner here.
“Did I forget to mention that Carruth produced and is self-distributing as well? We are fortunate in Boston to have UPSTREAM COLOR playing at two theaters (it ends its run at the Brattle today, but plays at the Coolidge through Thursday) so don’t miss your chance to catch this fascinating and compelling film. And do check out Jason’s review for a more thorough examination of the film without any spoilers. 4.5 cats”
Chris says: “Reportedly made for $7,000 and a Grand Jury prize winner at Sundance in 2004, Shane Carruth’s PRIMER defied convention, genre and (somewhat to its detriment) comprehensibility. Nine years later, Carruth has finally made a second film. It’s another highly personal work, with Carruth once again involved in everything from writing and directing to co-starring in and composing the music for it.
“For some, UPSTREAM COLOR will read as enigmatic and inscrutable as PRIMER. Carruth is less interested in telling a linear story and obviously more influenced by avant-garde masters such as Stan Brakhage (employing lyrical, abstract imagery) and Maya Deren (at one point, the cross-cutting explicitly references her similarly otherworldly MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON). Fortunately, Carruth shows palpable growth as a filmmaker here. Whether due to a larger budget or perhaps just advances in digital video technology in the nine years since, it looks absolutely gorgeous compared to the previous film. Carruth also seems
more confident this time out, letting the imagery ebb and flow at a highly structured but agreeable pace, allowing the viewer to be swept away by the pure emotions of what he’s conveying, rather than get boggled down in logistics of a fractured story that, in a roundabout way mostly works because the actors onscreen are also trying to piece together what’s happening to them.
“The more one comes into UPSTREAM COLOR cold, the better. Without being too specific, I will say that it follows three characters, two men (played by Carruth and Andrew Sensenig) and one woman (Amy Seimetz, whose multilayered performance stands out). There is an abduction, followed by a period of amnesia on the abductee’s part and an attempt to piece together those lost memories while also foraging ahead to build new ones. Sound and its presence figures in as much as the imagery—one could almost go as far to say the film’s primary focus is in how different sounds are examined, manipulated and juxtaposed
against each other. However, that would leave out the film’s human element and a sustained focus on how lives are similarly examined, manipulated and juxtaposed. UPSTREAM COLOR is still challenging and, at times, frustrating in its abstractness and the oblique, clinical way in which it often approaches notions of living and existence. That it’s also deeply poetic and moving just as often renders it a stunning advance over PRIMER. I even want to go back to that earlier film, as I’m now curious to see what I may have missed. 4.5 cats”