Review of Upstream Color (2013) by Jack G — 06 Apr 2013

Im.... still not totally sure what I just saw. Which I kinda expected. It has to do with a woman who, and this is just my interpretation, is abducted, hypnotized and mentally drugged/tortured and then given a maggot that turns into a tapeworm that some pig farmer transfers from woman to pig. And then the rest of the movie she goes through ups and downs, mostly downs, as she wrestles with the trauma and maybe being connected with the pig... or something.

I will say this, shot with a keen eye for natural but haunting colors, and I may have to teach it in a class just for the editing, which moves at a break neck pace (maybe a couple of times this is a problem, like 'slow down just for a moment and let a scene unfold without your elliptical machine going crazy) but is never too confusing. Oh, and how do you feel about Thoreau's Walden? Kind of a big deal here.

It was never uninteresting, successfully enigmatic, and has cute pigs. Certainly left me engaged cause it has an intelligent hand behind it, but I sadly didnt feel that emotionally engaged until maybe the last ten minutes.

In other words, don't recommend it to all, but for those looking for something more experimental and challenging to narrative forces, this is for you for sure. Or if you like cute pigs.