On DVD and Blu Ray - "
Upstream Color" (2013) - This Sci-Fi/Drama from Writer/Director/Actor Shane Carruth (
Primer) concerns a young woman (Amy Seimetz) who is abducted and becomes the victim of strange mind-altering experiments- awakening from her ordeal with no memories of the occurrence but devastated by it's aftermath, she fatefully encounters a kindred spirit (Shane Carruth) who may have experienced the same series of events.
This is the cinematic mind trip of 2013- it's a story that concerns worm-like parasitic organisms, mind control, stolen identities, blue orchids, Henry David Thoreau's "
Walden", hypnotism, metaphysics, the cycles of nature, water, infrasonics, symbiotic relationships and pigs... lots of pigs. For the first ten minutes of the film, I found myself wondering aloud, "What the fuck have I gotten myself into?!" Luckily, I stayed the course and gave it my undivided attention to find one of the most strangely rewarding and original film experiences of the last few years.
Expect a complex but heady mystery concerning two fractured souls in a state of flux who turn to one another in an attempt to rebuild their lives and overcome an unexplained loss. The sensual, poetic imagery throughout is reminiscent of a Terrence Malick film, though this particular narrative grew on me as I became more involved with trying to make sense of it all- there's an undeniable weight behind the images, all pieces of a well-crafted and intricately detailed puzzle. There are a myriad of themes at work here which I'll leave up to any potential viewer's scrutiny to examine further...this just may prove to be a film that many will have to watch a number of times to fully grasp and appreciate. I'll be damned if this also doesn't work as a love story.
Amy Seimetz (
You're Next) is excellent as the haunted main protagonist, "
Kris", while Shane Carruth is solid in support as her lover, "
Jeff"- Carruth also acts as Writer, Director, Producer, Editor and Composer here, with his original motion picture score quite an exceptional piece of work, as well. Cinephiles have lauded Carruth as a filmmaker to keep tabs upon, though I hope he doesn't wait another decade to produce a film.
Upstream Color is for every movie lover who longs for something intelligent and original- everyone else need not apply.
Highly Recommended
9.0 out of 10
Director: Shane Carruth
Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig and Thiago Martins
Run-Time: 96 minutes
MPAA: PG-13, for brief disturbing violent images, some sensual content, and a swear word.
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