Review of Upstream Color (2013) by Eric O — 18 Aug 2013

Ugh, I SO wanted to like this because of my love for Carruth's execution in 'Primer,' not to mention the response it got at festivals. but even all expectations aside, this was just a disappointment.

whereas 'Primer' captivated with pinpoint storytelling, here he leaves all that behind in lieu of unwarranted, out-of-place, and heavy-handed emotion (often in the company of over-ominous score and jumpy scene cuts).

while the acting/writing/directing is probably of good caliber, without a coherent story it just flops like a fish out of water, trying too hard to be cerebral and in the end just exposing all of its weaknesses in exaggerated form.

in the end, it suffers from what I call the Wes Anderson disease - i'm sure it has some beautiful meaning trapped behind all that symbolism and weirdness, but it's just that: trapped; trapped in a place unreachable by the audience.