Two victims of hypnosis find themselves inexorably drawn together
Everything is connected and love just might be a virus perpetuated via worms in this moody and mysterious oddity from writer/director/actor Shane Carruth. Carruth turned heads with his out-of-nowhere debut Primer (sort of a mumblecore science-fiction film), but I found Upstream Color far more accessible and emotionally resonant. Keep in mind that accessible is a relative term, as even Upstream Color is extremely ambiguous and potentially frustrating for viewers conditioned to expect tidy narratives. If the idea of experimental sci-fi about an obscure biological connection between orchids, worms, pigs, and people doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to stay away. But Carruth kept my attention throughout with a gorgeous, montaged visual approach and a truly outstanding use of sound. I took the film as a metaphor for original sin and free will, but who the hells knows. Intelligent and audacious, there’s nothing else out there quite like it.
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