Multi-talented indie auteur and all-round filmmaking whiz kid Shane Carruth follows up his confounding, shoestring-budgeted debut feature “Primer” with another fascinating, head-spinning sci-fi guaranteed to turn viewers’ brains to scrambled eggs with its bonkers, high-concept premise and impossible-to-follow narrative. Yet for all its mind-melting similarities to Carruth’s cult time travel drama, which deservedly bagged the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, the long-awaited “Upstream Color” is a horse of a different colour: while “Primer” was cold and distant, and intentionally so, as it whizzed its way through its nigh-incomprehensible technical jargon and complex plotting, “Upstream Color” makes for a much more intimate and emotionally engaging viewing experience, even if its uncommonly abstract storytelling proves alienating at times.
Like “Primer,” Carruth’s second feature is an enigmatic and original sci-fi which invites us to solve a puzzle. The story concerns a young, successful graphics production designer called Kris, played by Amy Seimetz, who is one night drugged and kidnapped by a thief (Thiago Martins). Reduced to a catatonic state by a parasitic, identity-absorbing grub, she is coerced into handing over thousands of dollars from her savings account before awakening several days later with no memory of the past week. Months later, she meets Jeff (Carruth), a handsome stranger on a train who, like her, is a lost soul with a troubled past and with whom she shares a growing connection — a connection which may not just be emotional but also mental, with Kris and Jeff discovering soon after starting a relationship together that they share past experiences and forgotten memories.
Close-up, Terrence Malick-inspired images of nature, such as the snouts of pigs trotting about a farm and microscopic views of multiplying cells, will remind many of 2010’s “The Tree of Life,” while the skin-crawling sight of a giant worm visibly slithering its way underneath Kris’ skin call to mind the early body horror of David Cronenberg. But this is Carruth through and through, and the singular, uncompromising vision of a filmmaker unchallenged by tampering studio heads. Self indulgent it certainly is, Carruth’s aggressively exposition-free storytelling resulting in bouts of head-scratching confusion, but it’s fascinating both to watch and contemplate afterwards.
The film’s technical merits are nothing short of sublime: the rhythmic editing, the electrifying score, the impeccable sound design and the crisp, absorbing cinematography mesmerisingly operate together in perfect harmony, which only makes sense when one realises that they were all handled, impressively, by Carruth himself. Figuring out the inner workings of the plot is borderline impossible on first viewing, so repeat viewings are a must if one is attempting to solve the film’s puzzle. And this really shouldn’t be an issue, for to go along with the bewilderment, there’s a great deal of truth and beauty in “Upstream Color” well worth revisiting. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to let this sensuous, visceral experience wash over you rather than getting too caught up in the minor details of the frankly baffling plot. Even then, you might still end up scratching your head to the bone.
Rating: 8/10
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