(USA, 96 min.)
Written and directed by Shane Carruth
Starring: Amy Seitz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig,
piglets.
I have no idea what the heck Upstream Colour is “about”, but I found it absolutely thrilling.
Coherence and definability seem to be the motives of least concern in this
densely cerebral film by
director/writer/producer/actor/cinematographer/editor/composer Shane Carruth. Upstream Colour lies somewhere between a
romance, a noir, a thriller, a sci-fi,
and a Sundance hipster film, and it’s all of them and none of them at the same
time. Upstream Colour might be the
most unique film in some time for cinephiles who think they’ve seen it all. Upstream Colour is most certainly an
experimental film, as it’s a long-form abstraction with some semblance of a
narrative that holds it all together. Upstream
Colour is a film “experience” if there ever was one.
Upstream Colour
might be appreciated best if one goes in with absolutely no objective towards
aligning its intricate and arbitrary storyline. The whole film seems to be
floating without gravity. Bopping it further into film geek
cultural-intellectual hyperspace are some cute little piglets that will have
you scratching the hair on your chinny-chin-chin for most of the film’s
ninety-six minutes and long after.
The film seems more like an elaborate exercise in the senses
of cinema. The abstract character of Upstream
Colour puts one in a state of hyperawareness. Gorgeously shot and scored—Upstream Colour has one of the best
contemporary soundtracks I’ve heard in a film—the story of Upstream Colour seems to lie in the sensations it provokes. The
visuals are outstanding; the sound is hypnotic. Your brain is on full alert
throughout the confounding sense-making game, but there comes a point at which
it all seems to blend into some sort of audio-visual tapestry that overwhelms a
viewer, much like staring at a painting on a wall for an unknown length of
time.
The film seems to come together in its final act, or it at
least has a sense of climax or culmination as it flies of the rails. The code
of the lovers’ mystery reveals itself in the words of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. A tale of transcendence and
spiritual discovery, Walden is like a
template for Upstream Colour. It
concerns an escape to nature and a re-examination of the self in society. The
commune in Upstream Colour—either the
interconnected humans or the piglets that run through the mud in their pen—seems
like an ideal form of community where people are good and live in harmony. I’ll
admit that I’ve had greater moments of transcendental clarity whilst sipping a
cup of David Lynch coffee, but Upstream
Colour is quite an eye-opening mind-bender. The enthralling techno-beat
that accentuates the carefree tempo of the piglets seems oddly futuristic,
though, as if mankind can’t bring home the bacon in the present-day (ish) story
world in which the film begins.
Much like Paul Thomas Anderson’s play on Scientology in The Master, Upstream Colour’s enthralling transcendental vibe makes little sense
once the credits roll. It’s one of those films that one wants to debate and
decipher, and the act of decoding is the better reward. The sights and sounds
of Upstream Colour open our minds to
ideas and possibilities.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Upstream Colour is currently playing in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
It will be available
for streaming and on VOD on May 7.
