Review of Upstream Color (2013) by Brett B — 31 Aug 2013

I don't know where you begin talking about a film like UPSTREAM COLOR, Shane Carruth's long awaited follow-up to PRIMER. This is an enormously dense and cerebral film, reliant primarily on mood and imagery rather than on dialogue.

Its plot almost defies any attempt to easily synopsize it, but I can say that it's ultra-oblique, and contains some truly strange sci-fi-bordering-on-horror concepts (including some really uncomfortable and squirm-inducing moments early on).

Taken at face value, I almost feel like long stretches of this film should feel boring, but there's a somewhat hypnotic quality to the movie that keeps it extremely watchable and interesting at all times, even if you're not entirely sure of the meaning of what you're seeing.

The cinematography is clean and often beautiful, as is the ambient and atmospheric score; both of these components contribute to the movie's overall effectiveness. I don't think I - wait, strike that, I KNOW I don't - fully understand the intricacies of what Carruth seems to have been going for with this, but there's so much to chew on that I don't believe it particularly matters.

It's a film that demands (no, requires) thought and discussion, and for that reason alone it deserves to be seen.