Upstream Color (2013) is difficult to describe in a few sentences. It's dreamlike. It lives from moments that carry an intriguing atmosphere and tone. It's a love story. And yet it doesn't have a straightforward, obvious narrative. Its director, Shane Carruth, who also plays the male protagonist Jeff opposite Amy Seimetz as the female counterpart Kris, has written, scored, shot and edited the film, and he has been described as the heir of Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan, and dare I say it... Luis Buñuel.
He's as independent as a filmmaker can be (he even distributes it himself, so support him by buying it directly from his site http://erbpfilm.com/film/upstreamcolor), and he's not afraid to experiment with the film format and go places where mainstream hasn't even heard of. Upstream Color is his second film after 9 years of silence since the release of his first film, Primer (2004), which was equally praised. Shane Carruth's background is interesting, too; he was a math major in college and a software developer for flight simulators before making his first feature film as a self-taught filmmaker.
I am currently retwatching Upstream Color for the 4th time, and it still gets to me. I also highly recommend its hypnotic soundtrack, scored by Carruth himself, available on iTunes. I'd be interested to hear your experiences watching this film.
