Upstream Color (2013)
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Reviews Counted: 78
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 10
As technically brilliant as it is narratively abstract, Upstream Color represents experimental American cinema at its finest -- and reaffirms Shane Carruth as a talent to watch.
Average Rating: 7.9/10
Critic Reviews: 27
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 3
As technically brilliant as it is narratively abstract, Upstream Color represents experimental American cinema at its finest -- and reaffirms Shane Carruth as a talent to watch.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 2,735
My Rating
Movie Info
A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. (c) Official Facebook
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Cast
-
Amy Seimetz
Kris -
Shane Carruth
Jeff -
Andrew Sensenig
Sampler -
Thiago Martins
Thief -
Kathy Carruth
Orchid Mother -
Meredith Burke
Orchid Daughter -
Andreon Watson
Peter -
Ashton Miramontes
Lucas -
Myles McGee
Monty -
Frank Mosley
Husband -
Carolyn King
Wife -
Kerry McCormick
OBGYN -
Marco Rodriguez
MRI Tech -
Brina Palencia
Woman in Club -
Marsha Lynn Blackburn
HR Manager -
John Walpole
Bank Investigator -
David Little
Veterinarian #1 -
Julie Anne Mayfield
Veterinarian #2 -
Ben Le Clair
The Sampled -
Gerald Dewey
The Sampled -
Leticia Magaña
The Sampled -
Rebecca Waldon
The Sampled -
Lindsey Roberts
The Sampled -
Cody Pottkotter
The Sampled -
Julie Santosuosso
The Sampled -
Steve Jimenez
The Sampled -
Jack Watkins
The Sampled -
Ted Ferguson
The Sampled -
Julie Ferguson
The Sampled -
Karen Jagger
The Sampled -
Jason Barnes
Roth -
Wendy Welch
Neighbor -
Keith Copeman
EMT #1 -
Nettie Yovanovitch
EMT #1 -
Tony Tamaj
Intern #1 -
Wheeler Williams
Intern #2 -
Tommy Watson
Security Guard -
Joe Cutler
Grocery Store Clerk
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All Critics (79) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (10) | DVD (1)
It presents us with a glimpse of the vastness of existence, of our inner nature, and of nature without that is as equally dreadful, enveloping, and terrifying as it is beautiful.
Top Critic"Upstream Color" is splendid, transcendent weirdness.
I loved it.
Sci-fi might have been too familiar a word, for what may induce a kind of hallucinatory melancholy in its viewers.
Elliptical and utterly fascinating adventure in cinema, one that defies simple explanations, but worms its way into the brain.
Carruth may be something that the movies haven't yet seen, perhaps the first great realization of the democratization of filmmaking that digital technology and the Internet promised.
No, there aren't any extras to speak of, and it doesn't matter. Shane Carruth's mesmerizing fantasy is still a must-own.
May represent a milestone in modern indie cinema, or at least a steppingstone between the smart microbudget work signified by star Amy Seimetz and the more grandiose aspirations associated with someone like -- dare I invoke the name? -- Stanley Kubrick.
Very few movies actually invite us in, meet us halfway, or offer us something. Upstream Color does that in such a unique, singular way that it's unlike almost any other movie I've ever seen.
Those who require a beating pulse to set the tempo for jigsaw puzzle moviegoing are hereby warned, as Carruth isn't interested in making things easy. He wants to squeeze your mind, not hold your hand.
It's not designed to stump or baffle but to beckon you into its wondrously chilly gray world. If it takes a few viewings to unlock (most of) its secrets then lucky you; you spent high-quality time you might have wasted on Pain & Gain.
If Shane Carruth's time-traveling debut Primer was about outthinking what you might do in the future, his second movie, Upstream Color, is about deciphering why you feel the way you do right now.
I have no idea what it was about, and I can't wait to see it again.
My immediate desire when it ended was to stay in my seat and watch it all the way through again.
Swooning, frightening, intoxicating, and a cinematic experience that feels genuinely new.
...works on its own idiosyncratic wavelength, one that isn't alienating, but isn't quite approachable either.
Its plot isn't particularly complicated, but it is undeniably weird. if you accept the movie on its own terms, you'll feel like you've been pulled into a creepy yet compelling dream.
Shane Carruth continues to grow as a filmmaker even as he remains keen to puzzle and perhaps frustrate. Upstream Color is, above all else, an unforgettable experience.
I found it one of the most invigorating and intoxicating movie experiences of the year.
There's some sort of genius buried within Upstream Color, but it's so enigmatic and obscure that by the time you reach it after digging through its countless layers you'll likely never find your way back again.
For all its impenetrable possibilities, the most obvious thing one can say about Upstream Color is that it is great.
Audience Reviews for Upstream Color
Super Reviewer
In regards to the narrative structure, unconventional editing, & free roaming camera work, I would not be surprised to find out that Carruth was heavily influenced by the work of director Terrence Malick. Yet what I find so impressive is that Carruth manages something that I believe few filmmakers are capable of pulling off: he apes these artistic touches while still creating a film that feels wholly fresh and completely original.
It is Terrence Malick by way of Philip K. Dick. But by the time you walk out of the theater you know you experienced something entirely Carruth. Even if you don't quite know what that means yet. To leave such an impression on the mind is quite an achievement for a director who has only two films under his belt.
Upstream Color is deliberately obtuse but doesn't feel inaccessible. It's expertly technical but oddly enough an incredibly emotional experience. It is quite simply a lot of things it shouldn't be, but somehow just is. And that...at least for me...is a beautiful thing.
Super Reviewer
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- Thief: I have to apologize. I was born with a disfigurement where my head is made of the same material as the sun.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| The next big thing? | 33 days ago | 6 |
Latest News on Upstream Color
April 3, 2013:
Shane Carruth Upstream Color InterviewThe writer/director/star weighs in on one of the year's better-reviewed independent films.
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