Upstream Color

Upstream Color starts as a mystery, quickly veering into horror territory. As it continues it becomes a sci-fi film, then a romance and partly a thriller, never settling on one genre, and concluding as sort of a detective story. Upstream Color is one of the most wildly imaginative movies I've seen. 

The most effective and disturbing aspect is the horror/ sci-fi segment, vaguely reminiscent of Martha Marcy May Marlene, a powerful, though unfortunately titled, movie about a girl haunted by her past in an abusive cult. Kris (Amy Seimetz), a young independent woman, is abducted, we don't know by whom, and subjected to physical and psychological terrors that are hinted at by some striking visuals, but that never become too explicit. Mind controlling worms are implanted in her. She is then made to memorize large passages of the novel "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. After "the thief," as the credits call the kidnapper, makes sure she is completely subordinate to him, he makes her sign away all of her money and leaves her, broken. He isn't seen again. 

At one point, Kris undergoes involuntary surgery to remove the worms. She has the operation next to a piglet that is also being operated on because of worms. Somehow, they become linked for the rest of the film. There is an overabundance of light filling every frame as well as numerous jarring jump cuts, making Kris's experiences seem like a dream. Are they? I can't say, but she's not the only one who goes through such nightmarish episodes. 

Occasionally, Shane Carruth, the director/cinematographer/editor/star of the film (yes, he really did all of those jobs) will cut to a farm full of piglets. Each piglet seems to share a link with a human. As an unnamed farmer passes by each unique pig, Carruth gives us glimpses of the lives to which the piglets are attached. The farmer, simply known as "the selector" walks around his farm and observes his subjects unseen, threatening, almost the opposite of the benevolent angels of "Wings of Desire" who never intervene directly but always work wonders. For the most part, however, Carruth sticks with Kris (and her corresponding piglet) who works as a stand-in for all the lost souls who are going through the same ordeal. 

Kris meets Jeff (Carruth) when she is released into the world. They both seem lost and disconnected, but are attracted to one another. Both appear to be compatible to the core, "perfect" for each other. The courtship is fragmented, shown only through the bare essentials, not even containing any full scenes: when Jeff first saw Kris, when they first talked and went out, Jeff's proposal. These are all strung  together to make a comprehensible whole out of fragmented pieces. Kris and Jeff drift together through their wonder-world which no one else seems to inhabit. They take trips together, come to know one another. They get married and buy a house. All without interacting with the outside world. 

As they grow closer together and begin to share childhood memories, Kris and Jeff realize that they have lived through exactly the same circumstances. As they realize that their memories, and thus their identities, might not be their own, they become defensive and fight often. It is implied, though not explicitly shown, that Jeff went through a similar kidnapping/hypnotization as Kris as he has the same physical and psychological symptoms she does. Eventually, they come to fully realize what it means to be a couple and begin working together as a unit. 

As a romance, Upstream Color achieves what "To the Wonder" should have done, giving hope that a healthy relationship, although always in need of delicate care and constant attention, may survive. In the final minutes of the film, they search for the one who entrapped and manipulated them. I don't wish to spoil it, but the thrilling, uplifting ending redeems and enhances the tough initial sequences of the film and brings the difficult story to an immensely satisfying conclusion for those willing to sit through to the end. 

Verdict- 3.5/4 

Upstream Color (2013) 1h 36min. No Rating 

Random Thoughts

-the sound design of the film is striking. Scenes and shots are interconnected not by visual cues, but by sounds which is  unusual. At times, dialogue is almost inaudible while ambient sounds of rustling leaves and flying birds overtake the soundtrack in an almost musical way, never becoming distracting or unpleasant.

-Kris reconstructing the puzzle at the end is fitting since her past job, as the movie briefly shows, was as a film editor whose job it was to splice different pieces of film together into a coherent whole

-"Walden" is a novel that celebrates independence and isolation. Whoever abducted Kris and Jeff wanted to instill in their minds the idea that the only acceptable way of life for them was a lonely existence. Ironically "Walden" ends up becoming the clue that most helps the couple to work together.