Spiders on 18/5/2013 at 03:37

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I thought Upstream was marvelous. I went in expecting something a lot like Primer, but it became evident from the get-go that this was more of an impressionistic drama than a logistical puzzler. Very pretty, very intelligent, and definitely quite memorable. Shane Carruth himself was present at my showing and I had a lot of fun talking with him after the movie. You get the impression, watching it, that everything is there for a reason -- and his explanation of the creative process behind the movie basically confirmed that that's absolutely true. He was reluctant to explain what everything was supposed to mean, but he had a very in-depth rationale for just about every minute facet of the production. He was very intense, wicked smart, and disconcertingly handsome in person. So there's that.

For such a brilliant guy, he was hilarious blasé about the whole movie; he took the mic before the showing, said, "Yeah, Upstream Color: it's a narrative, so whatever. Hope you like it," and then walked off without another word.

demagogue on 18/5/2013 at 11:43

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Ha, cool. When I was in high school I worked at an electrician shop one summer, organizing these walls of bins full of parts. But work was achingly slow sometimes, so I'd climb up into a top bin & just read Walden, part of our required summer reading. Hard to overstate how big an impression that book makes to an American kid wanting to get away from it all and just do their own thing already.

Actually, thinking about it, it fits in the movie quite well. One reading of the movie is that over-reliance or trust in others, or the intrusion of others, or being caught up in "the grid" (however you want to put it) can screw you... And sometimes you have to just walk away and start over at the basics, and in the end you just have yourself and your loved ones that you can really rely on. I think that's why that bathtub shot is the iconic image for the movie. And one of the messages of Walden is total self-reliance.* You don't hate the world; but you don't need it and it doesn't always love you back, and you can flourish without it -- or maybe you can't really and that's part of the tragedy. Parts of the movie could be about the line between control and freedom.

*Edit: Probably the thief picked it for the sick irony of it contrasted to what he was doing, as some kind of black humor for him.

Aerothorn on 27/5/2013 at 22:56

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For anyone who wants to do "futher reading" on Carruth and Upstream, here are some good links I dug up today:

(http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/04/09/upstream_color_faq_analysis_and_the_meaning_of_shane_carruth_s_film.html) A very insightful, explanatory FAQ.
(http://haydenhiggins.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/but-the-color-will-always-bloom-upstream-or-what/) A thoughtful interpretation of the film's themes.
(http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/primer-shane-carruth/2/) A Wired profile on Carruth.

Incidentally, the guy is super charming. I waited around for a handshake, and I NEVER do that.

Briareos H on 28/5/2013 at 12:15

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There's a direct download / streaming option on the official site for those outside the US.

henke on 9/7/2013 at 07:55

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I watched this yesterday, after seeing a Primer a few days prior. I liked Primer better.

The opening with the hypnotizing is very tense and interesting, but the rest of the movie is kind of a drag. Neither of the leads are all that interesting, and they just kinda amble around for an hour before sorta remembering where the pigfarmer/musician/voyeur lives and then they kill him and everyone lives happily ever after. Okay? I guess the ending was supposed to be feelgood but honestly I didn't care enough about the characters to feel much of anything when it was over. The whole movie was very nicely shot though. Good cinematography and lighting.

Questions:
-How are the robber and pigfarmer connected? Did the robber leave the woman with instructions where to find him after waking up?
-What's the deal with the book, Walden? I guess it somehow helped them find the pigfarmer but I'm not sure how.
-Who were the other couple in the short interlude in the middle of the movie? The one where the guy is leaving the house over and over. How do they fit into the story?

Honestly a lot of this stuff just feels like it's there to pad the length of the movie and give people something to speculate about.