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IMDbPro

Upstream Color

  • 2013
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
Shane Carruth and Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.
Play trailer2:10
8 Videos
68 Photos
DramaSci-Fi

A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

  • Director
    • Shane Carruth
  • Writer
    • Shane Carruth
  • Stars
    • Amy Seimetz
    • Frank Mosley
    • Shane Carruth
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    34K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • Stars
      • Amy Seimetz
      • Frank Mosley
      • Shane Carruth
    • 183User reviews
    • 276Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 35 nominations

    Videos8

    U.S. Version #3
    Trailer 2:10
    Watch U.S. Version #3
    Teaser #2
    Trailer 1:06
    Watch Teaser #2
    Teaser #1
    Trailer 0:52
    Watch Teaser #1
    What to Watch If You Love 'Inception'
    Clip 2:47
    Watch What to Watch If You Love 'Inception'
    Upstream Color: They Could Be Starlings (UK)
    Clip 2:46
    Watch Upstream Color: They Could Be Starlings (UK)
    Upstream Color: Transplant (UK)
    Clip 3:30
    Watch Upstream Color: Transplant (UK)
    Upstream Color: Waking Up (UK)
    Clip 2:29
    Watch Upstream Color: Waking Up (UK)
    Upstream Color: I Can't Find Them (UK)
    Clip 1:26
    Watch Upstream Color: I Can't Find Them (UK)

    Photos68

    Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
    Shane Carruth in Upstream Color (2013)
    Upstream Color (2013)
    Shane Carruth in Upstream Color (2013)
    Upstream Color (2013)
    Upstream Color (2013)
    Shane Carruth in Upstream Color (2013)
    Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
    Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
    Andrew Sensenig in Upstream Color (2013)
    Shane Carruth and Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
    Upstream Color (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Amy Seimetz
    Amy Seimetz
    • Kris
    Frank Mosley
    Frank Mosley
    • Husband
    Shane Carruth
    Shane Carruth
    • Jeff
    Andrew Sensenig
    Andrew Sensenig
    • The Sampler
    Thiago Martins
    • Thief
    Kathy Carruth
    • Orchid Mother
    Meredith Burke
    • Orchid Daughter
    Andreon Watson
    • Peter
    Ashton Miramontes
    • Lucas
    Myles McGee
    • Monty
    Carolyn King
    Carolyn King
    • Wife
    Kerry McCormick
    Kerry McCormick
    • OBGYN
    Marco Antonio Rodriguez
    Marco Antonio Rodriguez
    • MRI Tech
    Brina Palencia
    Brina Palencia
    • Woman in Club
    Lynn Blackburn
    Lynn Blackburn
    • HR Manager
    John Walpole
    John Walpole
    • Bank Investigator
    • (as Trey Walpole)
    Dave Little
    • Veterinarian #1
    Julie Mayfield
    • Veterinarian #2
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film that Kris is editing at the beginning of the movie is A Topiary, the film that Shane Carruth had begun production on before deciding to film Upstream Color instead.
    • Goofs
      When the Sampler is incapacitating a pig with his instrument, the knot is thrown towards the pig's face and stretched. In the next frame, the wire knot is around the pig's body between its front & hind legs.
    • Quotes

      Thief: I have to apologize. I was born with a disfigurement where my head is made of the same material as the sun.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies You've Probably Never Seen (2016)

    User reviews183

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    An overwhelming artistic exercise in confusion worth experiencing
    As you all know, with PRIMER, Shane Carruth announced himself to the world as a naturally gifted talent, one who could rival the likes of James Cameron. Of course, it never happened as he struggled to get his second film off the ground.

    Nine years after PRIMER Shane Carruth's long awaited second film is as dense as expected, with an impossible to understand third act that still manages to intrigue due to its sheer technical mastery. With UPSTREAM COLOR Carruth proves he is not a one-shot wonder. He also proves he is the ultimate NYC and L.A. art-film director incapable of adapting to more mainstream story telling.

    Much has been written about the plot so I will not get into the specifics here. What I will say is that I think Carruth purposely holds critical information from his films as a way to challenge viewers and force them to think. This is admirable. But in the end, a bit frustrating because with just a few answers both PRIMER and now UPSTREAM COLOR would be fit for the masses without compromising artistic integrity.

    The film made sense to me for about an hour and then it started to slip away. Like with Primer, I just lost my footing and could not gain hold. Amazingly enough, I still enjoyed the experience and was never bored, In fact, at times I was held in genuine suspense.

    The third act has been described as 30 minutes without dialog and that simply is not true. There are numerous sequences without dialog and about halfway through we get a major sequence of events told with visuals and music. Then we have some more conventional filmmaking (conventional is really not the right word) followed by what I think might be around 15 minutes of dialog free visuals. The ending makes no sense to me, but I will see the film again and hope to sort it out.

    Carruth designed the sound and composed the music and let me tell you, he hit both out of the park. The man could work scoring films and make a great living. The same goes for his sound design.

    I watched the film at IFC in New York City and they have a pretty good sound system. What they don't have is a great screen. It might be the proper widescreen aspect ratio, but the images appeared darker in sections and that harmed Carruth's amazing visuals, rumored to have been captured with a hacked $700 Pansonic DSLR (the GH2). The image is akin to a RED or Alexa and throughout Carruth plays with shallow depths of field. This results in some shots missing the sharply focused mark, but for the most part the visuals shine. This film proves you do not need Hollywood style lighting and equipment to make Hollywood level films.

    The Blu-Ray will be out in May and I have already put it on order at Amazon. There is no question in my mind that by year's end I will have sat through UPSTREAM COLOR numerous times.

    I look forward to Carruth's next film, but with the hope for a little more clarity in his narrative.
    helpful•64
    44
    • mattstevens
    • Apr 16, 2013

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 30, 2013 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sắc Màu Ngược Dòng
    • Filming locations
      • Dallas, Texas, USA
    • Production company
      • erbp
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $444,098
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,649
      • Apr 7, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $587,174
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Shane Carruth and Amy Seimetz in Upstream Color (2013)
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