Review of Upstream Color (2013) by Caley K — 23 Apr 2013

Upstream Color, Shane Carruth's followup to his clever 2004 time traveling debut film Primer, is a brilliant achievement of experimental storytelling, a complicated tale of mystery and lively organism.

It embarks upon a combination of elegance and disturbance, thanks to the hypnotic style of imagery, which feels slightly reminiscent of the visuals and editing styles of Terrence Malick (whom which I would argue had to be an influence).

The film is not easily accessible, however, even without narrative clarity it still remains widely imaginative and thought provoking. Genre blending is prevalent, drenching the film in mystery, romance, and science fiction, all working together and building upon each other in an interesting fashion.

As for acting, I found this film to be a major improvement over Carruth's Primer, portraying a full dosage of emotional sustainability from beginning to end. As the film left me in wonder, I couldn't help but see it much more as an experience.

It doesn't give you concrete answers to the questions it leaves you with, but then you realize that perhaps total explanation is unnecessary in a film like this. Hopefully, this will see to filmmaker Shane Carruth having a plentiful filmography in the near future.