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Friday, May 3, 2013

Upstream Color

Last night I sat utterly entranced and engulfed by Shane Carruth’s tiny indie film fever dream, Upstream Color. Much like Carruth’s first and only other feature film, the cult sensation Primer, Upstream Color forces you to sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the ride. There’s no explanation, no certainly, no familiarity – Carruth immerses the audience in a state of reinvigoration. There’s nothing like Upstream Color. If the film were a court case, its lawyers would fail to argue its point, because there’s simply no precedent for it.

To describe the plot of the film would be to damage the central appeal of this work of art. How do you describe something you don’t merely observe, but rather, experience? It’s possible, sure, but not nearly as fun as encouraging people to become exposed to it themselves.

In a grand sense, Upstream Color is about finding yourself. It’s about waking up and realizing you have no idea who you are. It’s about putting the pieces of a puzzle together, while those around you support and/or refute your efforts. The film is, essentially, about Kris, a young, career-driven woman (Amy Seimetz) who experiences something unexpected and horrifying, and wakes up not remembering a thing. With her life ruined and emotional state collapsed, she meets young lawyer, Jeff (Carruth) by chance, and the two form a timid relationship based on mutual heartbreak and understanding.

But things aren’t what they seem – they never are in Carruth’s warped world. Kris is haunted by what she’s endured. And we gather quickly that Jeff is plagued by something similar. The two tell stories from their respective childhoods, but have trouble remembering whose stories belong to whom. Kris hears piercing, constant sounds that keep her awake, while Jeff lets his anger, which seems to come from nowhere, intermittently get the better of him. The two struggle to make sense of their relationship and, more importantly, the mysterious circumstances that brought them together.
Similarly to Carruth’s Primer, the director took on a vast array of duties for Upstream Color. In addition to acting in and directing the film, Carruth is credited as the film’s (…deep breath) writer, producer, music composer, cinematographer, co-editor, sound designer, marketer, and sole distributor. All are significant, but the final two may be the most intriguing. Basically, by Carruth instilling himself as the film’s distributor, he has been involved with every step of this film’s process. From the original idea to the way in which people see it. You hear a lot of directors complain about how their movie poster is clichéd in Photoshop hyperbole, or how their film’s trailer is in no way indicative of the final product. Well, that’s because, more often than not, those directors don’t have a say in the marketing and distribution of their films. The people forking out the money do. It is Carruth’s desire to do things differently.

In story form, he drafts ideas that have never been broached. He formulates concepts that are unique and, when put together, create a fluctuating yet puzzlingly connected film. As an editor, Carruth’s cuts are fluid and non-liner, but with a palpable confidence; a sophistication, if you will. His color palette is cold and over exposed, but always fitting. His acting is subtle, enraged, and tender (with serious help from Seimetz, a fine independent filmmaker herself, who, in Upstream Color, delivers what is easily the best acting performance I’ve seen so far this year.) Carruth’s music is eerie yet distinct, like a fruitful collaboration between M83 and Cliff Martinez. And his marketing is restrained and appropriately teasing.
Upstream Color was released in select theaters last week and will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD May 7. I’m fortunate enough to live within walking distance of a theater currently showing it, which reminds me of a funny story. On Sunday’s Mad Men, Don Draper took his son to see the original Planet of the Apes. When the film was finished, Don’s son stared curiously at the screen and, after a brief conversation, the two chose to stay and watch the movie again. Upon exiting the theater last night, I sat in my car, perplexed and amazed. After a few moments, as if by instinct, I walked back into the theater and watched the movie again. That’s something I’ve never done before.

If Terrence Malick, Steven Soderbergh and David Lynch had a brainchild together, it would look, feel, and resonate like Upstream Color. It’s as original and certain a film I’ve seen in the past decade, one that I’ll support and promote as much as possible from the confines of my keyboard.

I’ve heard a lot of talk recently about the current state of cinema. About how the studios run the show – money trumps art, creativity is dead. Upstream Color, however, is the antithesis of that philosophy. It proves that with talented collaborators and a whole hell of a lot of creative drive, one can achieve true greatness. Cinema isn’t dead, my friends. If Upstream Color is any evidence, the art form is alive and well and ready to be embraced. A+

26 comments:

  1. This film was just not for me. As much as I liked the look, performances and the romantic-y relationship at the centre, everything else left me completely confused and hence annoyed. My brain literally shut down everytime the pigs were on the screen.

    But I do like the whole self-marketing and distributing thing.

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    1. Hey, fair enough. This is one that, for me, will only get better with time. I was definitely confused by much of what happened on screen, but seeing it a second time really helped put things into perspective. But still, I don't expect many people to like it nearly as much as I did.

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  2. I'm interested to see an A+ movie.. I'm not sure though how I would apprehend it myself.

    PS: I'm no indie film expert but it seems to be that "birds" are a general visual means to create the notion of "wanted freedom" and that's what I thought when I saw the first picture. I like birds..

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    1. Part of the fun of this film is in trying to put the puzzle together, which can confound and amuse people... just depends on the person, you know?

      I love your comment about birds. Couldn't agree more with your notion of wanted freedom. I like birds too :)

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    2. yes, I can't tell what sort of birds, but there are lots of mythologies around Sparrows and traveling across a sea earns you one on your wrist as the old sailors tale goes— but at the core they do symbolize freedom, an unshackling. I loved the review. Going to see the movie.

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    3. Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I really hope you like the film.

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  3. Oh... I really want to see this. Plus, I need to revisit Primer as I recalled when I went to see that film and the Q&A after the film that he had been talking about making a romantic film. I guess it took him 9 years to do it. I hope the wait for his next film won't be that long.

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    1. I definitely hope it doesn't take him this long to make another one too. It really is quite something. Blew me right the hell away.

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  4. If Terrence Malick, Steven Soderbergh and David Lynch had a brainchild together ... O.K., I'm adding this to my list as we speak.

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    1. Nice! I hope you enjoy it. It's definitely out there.

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  5. I've read through this review for about four times now and now I physically, spiritually and emotionally, need to see this. Sounds like a piece of heaven. Beautifully written.

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    1. Damn man, thanks so much for that. This film truly is other worldly. A unique work of art.

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  6. I've heard lots of different opinions about this film (some people seem to love it, some people despise it), but this review crystallizes that this is a film that I will almost certainly love (Malick and Lynch in the same breath!) but plenty would hate. Good review, and a film I'm eager to see...though I'm somewhat doubtful it's getting a cinematic release here.

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    1. Yeah, it is bound to elicit polarizing reactions, no doubt. But I was taken away while watching it to a degree that I rarely am. It has stayed with me 24/7 since seeing it. Can't get it out of my head.

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  7. I'll definitely be seeing this and Primer soon. I wasn't even excited about this film until I read your review. Great job man!

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    1. Thanks Josh! Primer is a great, well, primer for Upstream Color. Hope you dig them both!

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  8. What a film. And a superbly written piece.
    Your review was the one thing that got me too see this film and man, am I thankful.

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    1. Damn man, what a kind compliment from you. I'm so happy my review could inspire you to see the movie. It was really something else, wasn't it?

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    2. Was truly so.
      This movie actually changed my perception of cinema.
      The rewatch was even better.

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    3. Damn man, I seriously love hearing that. I can't wait to watch it on Blu-Ray.

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  9. Hi Alex...Yeah, this is a stunner ain't it? I haven't had a chance to revisit yet, but can't wait to be immersed into its visuals and, most specifically, its sound field again. Ryan and I discussed it on his MatineeCast recently (would love it if you gave it a listen - I'm not as erudite in my "review" of the film as you are, but I think my excitement for it comes through) and one of the things I mentioned was that the film was almost tactile. It just enveloped you. I'll need a few more watches to get a better feeling for how it all fits together, but just the immediate feeling it gave me through its visuals and audio was more than enough to plunge me headlong into love for it.

    In many ways, I think I see the film more as a collage instead of as a puzzle - it's less concerned about putting together a specific image/story for the viewer than it is in bringing numerous disparate elements together to conjure up larger ideas.

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    1. Hey Bob, thanks for such an insightful comment!

      Just listened to the MatineeCast (thanks for the link!), and I love what you said about the film in general, and particularly how you tied it into Ebert's review of Stormy Monday.

      Now that you mention it, the film really is more of a collage than a puzzle. That is a great way to put it. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  10. Alex, I cannot thank you enough for encouraging me to see this. I was actually on vacation in Arizona when this post was published, so I checked to see if by some chance there was an indie theater playing this. Thankfully there was, and man I cannot agree with you more. The right mixes of every aspect of filmmaking. I now consider 'Primer' the methodical experiment, and 'Upstream Color' to be the master's thesis on the results of that experiment. In part due to the Amy Seimetz's layered, hypnotic revelatory performance, I found this to be exponentially better piece on... well everything. Existence itself? Identity? Human bonding? Pre-determination? Man's conflict with nature? Humanity's draw to nature? Similar to Primer's theme of the harshness of breaking cycles of existence, just made a thousand times more compelling. I was entranced, disturbed, confused, enthralled, moved and in awe, what more could I ask from any experience?

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    1. Jeff, I am being 100% serious when I say this, but comments like the one you just left are a major part of why I write film reviews. Obviously, my love for Upstream Color is boundless, and the fact that my review actually motivated you to go to the theater and check it out... man, that makes it all worth it.

      So glad you like this one. You're so right, the film is an all encompassing experience of emotion, inspiration, cinematic adulation and on and on. I've watched it 4 times in two weeks, and its effect has yet to be lessened. A fantastic achievement.

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  11. I could not agree with your review more. Such a captivating... 'different' film. It ignited my faith in great cinema again. With the philosophy of big studio films running everything, I believe there is a bit of truth to that statement. In my state of Queensland, there's only a handful of cinemas that show films such as this. There still hasn't been a cinema in my area that has shown Upstream Colour. Meanwhile, we get an abundance of films like 'Whitehouse Down' and 'We're the Millers.' I'm so sick of the current state of cinema, and I'm so sick of big-budget films getting the funding to be shown in every cinema. I just wish masterpieces such as Upstream Colour got the exposure and decent distribution it deserves. Most people see it as too much effort to travel large distances to see an independent film.

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    1. Couldn't agree more with you. I've all but given up on the current state of mainstream American cinema. I haven't been to a mainstream movie theater in months, because... what's the point? It's hilarious, most of the indie theaters in LA play one or two blockbusters, so if I want to see them, I can. It's almost always the other way around, so I'm enjoying the change of pace.

      The cinematic landscape needs more movies like Upstream Color. It can change things.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Loved your review of this film.

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