Upstream Color

Written and Directed by Shane Carruth.

It stays with you…but then I forgot.

I knew exactly what I was in for and yet I tried, I put all my energy into it. I believe there are good moments, accomplished sequences. I believe there are other moments when it isn’t as accomplishing what he’s trying to say, especially the part where the protagonists are mixing each other’s past. When it was over I had a mixed feeling between the idea that I got some of it, I understood especially what’s, to me, in the surface, my ordinary point of view of a woman’s life being wracked by a marginal stealing people’s money and then later, out of seemingly no connections, another man enters the same life and takes it over and how it takes yet other people’s genuine care, even if they might be as broken, to enlighten a possible recovery into a more bearable living, or, as I’m sure, something deeper lies ahead. It is often difficult to reach these people’s world, it’s hard to connect, finding a sentiment, or rather understand where they came from. There are other moments, sometimes only a brief moment, when you reach that connection, it feels like you’re sharing.

At the end, there’s this quite exceptional take by an author looking to express his ideas and talents. The balance between image and sound is great, like he’s trying to say something only for the sake of these lines alone, sometimes the image is like a beautiful commercial but then you get used to it. The woman of this film, played by Amy Seimetz, helps tremendously I guess, not only representing the fragileness but bringing the palpable humanity, the man, played by Shane Carruth, helps to increase the film’s intangible atmosphere. No doubt this is an exceptional experience. And I’m glad I did it.