Review of Upstream Color (2013) by Colleen G — 23 Jun 2013

I drove to El Segundo for a special screening of "Upstream Color" through Matt's Movies, a fringe benefit for KCRW members. To be honest, it's just more fun to see a movie this way. There were a lot of movie buffs or nerds in the audience as these are people who donate at a high level to KCRW.

Matt gave some background on the film, having seen it at SXSW a few weeks earlier. He told us it would be a mysterious thrill ride, emotional, and rewarding. We started the film, a special rip of the original from Shane himself, being played through a blu-ray player in the special AMC Beach Cities screening theatre.

The movie started and we were all so engrossed that when Matt came out a half an hour through to tell us the audio track hadn't been playing at all we were stunned. All of us went along for the ride, unbeknownst to us that we were missing quite a lot of dialogue.

Matt said, "So, like I said, this movie is mysterious.. it's not *that* mysterious." Personally, it was exceptionally clear what was happening in the film. I didn't need the dialogue at all, and this is to Shane's credit as a filmmaker.

We started the movie over with the dialogue track and it couldn't have been a more fulfilling experience. It's funny how a mistake like that can actually enhance the experience. Shane uses obvious camera techniques that are so polished you completely miss them, unless they are pointed out.

The style follows the story with very jarring angles during the first portion of the film, they perfectly match the subject material, and then morph into something completely different during the middle section, and again for the end of the story arc.

You must see this film, it is worth every second, and if you are feeling particularly daring you should turn off the sound for the first half an hour and watch it again. Trust me, it's amazing.