1. MarcDoyle

   9

   A beautifully-shot, challenging ,and outstanding film. I'm going to check out Primer as soon as possible, and I'll try to catch this one again before it's theatrical run has concluded. I agree with most critics that trying to nail down the specific plot details is unnecessary to intuitively understanding and enjoying this film. Amy Seimetz is fantastic, and she plays well with Carruth. The elegant visuals, coupled with the very interesting score, make this a film like no other I've seen in a long while. Here's hoping that we'll see many more films from Carruth in the not-too-distant future.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
2. Mike_M

   8

   Short version: Upstream Color is a good-but-flawed, puzzling, poetical, unusual movie. It's not easy to watch or digest, but will give you plenty to think and feel.
   * *
   Users have noted how flawed this movie is while (unkindly- cruelly even) rating it 0. Some very good critics (Zacharek among them) have given it lukewarm reviews. There is some truth to what they say. It is hard to follow, artsy-fartsy, and pretentious (as in: intellectual ambition failed, as separate from artsy-fartsiness). How severely to penalize an American movie in 2013 for these three flaws is an open question. For me, not one of these flaws, or all of them together, is as ugly as any one of the flaws we get most often in our movies, whether big-budget or indie or in between. It's not based on a franchise, it's not a vehicle for celebrities, it's not a recycled-story excuse for special effects or tear-jerking, it's not quirky and too cute by half, there's no particular exploitation of sex or violence, and the relatively happy ending is probably too troubling (in my interpretation) to call tacked-on, facile or restorative.
   
   Upstream Color is a good, unusual movie with a lot of unusual flaws. Piecing the story together takes place across the entire movie. The characters are the sort of two-dimensional types that are necessary for an allegory, especially one that's puzzling, lyrical, metaphorical and maybe deliberately inscrutable. you might love this movie. You might hate it. You will not have the same old movie experience.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. TVJerry

   4

   Almost a decade ago, Shane Carruth created "Primer," a low-budget sci-fi flick that developed a cult following for its complex ambiguity. This new one has a better quality look, arty even. It's edited with short cuts to keep it moving. But…the plot is totally obtuse. A man and woman have been part of some kind of enigmatic experiment involving a worm. There's also a guy who walks around recording sounds and tending to pigs. And "Walden." If you like to feel hip and love to dig deep for meaning, you're liable to find it perfect. Otherwise, there's lots of interesting imagery with no easy payoff.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. Bestpony

   2

   Upstream Color is a hostile film, one that presents you with puzzling events and unsettling imagery and seemingly hopes that curiosity will keep you watching. The problem is that, in my opinion, it really doesn't do much to build that curiosity in the first place. The viewer literally gets about five minutes to get to know Kris before she gets abducted, which really isn't enough to establish any sort of identification or compassion. Add to that annoying five-second cuts and that terrible, terrible synopsis and you get the feeling that Carruth is flashing the troll face when you're not looking. Perhaps critics do get the joke, but I certainly don't.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.

See all 9 User Reviews