Looking for something to watch but have too much choice of stuff to stream? We've got you covered. This week: the challenging but beautiful sci-fi drama Upstream Colour.
In 2004, writer-director - who was also producer, actor, composer and more - Shane Carruth released the cult classic Primer. For many, it's the ultimate time travel film: one that's unafraid to delve into the mind-melting potential of that most popular of sci-fi concepts.
It was also an incredible debut feature - produced with a tiny budget, but clearly the work of someone who has put a whole lot of thought into the design of their film. Shane Carruth was a real director to watch, and an impressive multi-tasker to boot. Although we had to wait almost a decade for his second effort, suffice to say it didn't disappoint.
Just to get it right out there: Upstream Colour is a 'difficult' film. But wait, come back! That's meant in the nicest way possible, and certainly it's considerably more straightforward than Primer's exponentially increasing amount of timelines.
It's best to forego a plot synopsis - partly because it would take a while, but mostly because of the pleasure of working it out for yourself,
Upstream Colour is indeed an absolute pleasure to watch - it's gorgeously filmed, full of potent themes, images and emotions, and maintains a distinctive mood from beginning to end. But certainly it's very possible certain aspects of the film will remain elusive and mysterious on your first go around - that rare feeling you get when a film draws you, but at times you're not quite sure exactly why.
The film's secrets are not revealed through dialogue or exposition, or at least most of them aren't - instead they're communicated through the very form of the film. Visual links and echoes; the choice of edits; even the sound design - Carruth has put the puzzle pieces together with total care, and trusts the viewer to interpret them.
More than anything, Upstream Colour highlights what can happen when a story is embedded right into the very look and feel of a film. It's only 'difficult' because so few other movies out there ask us to engage so directly with the way films are put together.
It's also that most uncommon of treats: a film that is as - if not more - rewarding second time around. On a first watch it's best just to relax and adjust to the film's mysterious rhythm. Second time, armed with a quick glance at a full plot synopsis, its nuances and depths only become more revelatory.
When mainstream science-fiction is ever more fixated with elaborate visual effects, Upstream Colour takes its ambitious concepts and themes and manages to explore their full potential. And, at its heart, you have a strange but moving cinematic romance. It may be a film that defies the rules when it wants to, but Carruth is not one to deny the audience some simpler pleasures too.
You can watch Upstream Colour on Netflix. It's also available on Blu-Ray and DVD, or to download from iTunes.
