Review - Upstream Color (2013)

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.