https://www.starburstmagazine.com
  • Subscribe
  • Featured
  • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • News
  • Trailer Park
  • Subscribe
  • Film Festival
  • Store
  • Cart (0)
  • (0)
  • Account

Sorry there are no results, please try searching for something else

Please Use the search box on the left to search the site.

Search Results:

News

Out Now – ISSUE 448

STARBURST celebrates the anti-hero with previews ...

News

FrightFest Announces New Headline Sponsor

FrightFest, the annual leading horror film ...

reviews

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)

The bona fides of the 1932 film The Old Dark House ...

reviews

I KILL GIANTS

Director Anders Walter’s festival favourite ...

reviews

THEY CAME TO A CITY (1944)

Ealing Studios are best known for their post-war ...

reviews

DARK BLUE (2002)

Dark Blue is based on a story treatment from ...

reviews

STREETS OF RED: DEVIL’S DARE DELUXE

Taking its cues from games like Streets of Rage ...

reviews

FAHRENHEIT 451

With a television adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 ...

reviews

THE WAR IN THE DARK

Followers of occult history will know that our ...

reviews

ADULT FAIRY TALES (1978)

The legendary Charles Band had already been ...

News

Verne Troyer 1969 – 2018

Verne Troyer, who portrayed the miniature ...

Reviews | Written by Jonathan Anderson 18/10/2013

DVD Review: UPSTREAM COLOUR

Review: Upstream Colour / Cert: 12 / Director: Shane Carruth / Screenplay: Shane Carruth / Starring: Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins / Release Date: December 30th

Shane Carruth's follow-up to the complex Primer doesn't go easy on any audience refusing to approach the film with an open mind.

Upstream Colour starts with a woman called Kris (Seimetz) being drugged with a parasite that alters her mental state. This makes her highly suggestible and vulnerable to the man who drugged her (Martins), who systematically robs her of her life savings through a series of carefully plotted distractions and instructions.

She later meets Jeff (Carruth), a man who reveals himself to be equally damaged. They connect on such a level that they begin to remember each other's childhood memories and feel each other's pain. As the two rebuild their lives, they struggle to come to terms with and understand what has happened. Meanwhile, a pig farmer (Sensenig) searches for the parasites and the victims, using a range of infrasonic sounds that attracts them.

It's no surprise that Upstream Colour is somewhat perplexing. Beautifully shot and mesmerising, it focuses on exploring its themes and imagery rather than delivering the sort of cohesive and satisfying narrative favoured by the mainstream. Sound plays an important part in the film, and there are several edits and repeated camera shots from different angles, often drawing attention to the seemingly small details of facial expressions and hand gestures, all of which contribute to the film's unique ambience. The cycle of the parasite is explored along with the connections between the main characters and the consequences of their actions.

There is something of a conclusion, and while the lack of answers and explanation given can be frustrating, the film is mesmerising enough to carry the viewer through.

Extras: TBC

Reviews you may like

Read More

reviews | 23/04/2018

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)

The bona fides of the 1932 film The Old Dark House should be enough to ...

View Article Read More

Share

reviews | 22/04/2018

THEY CAME TO A CITY (1944)

Ealing Studios are best known for their post-war comedies, which gently ...

View Article Read More

Share

  • THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)

    The bona fides of the 1932 film The Old Dark House should be enough to recommend it. Directed by James Whale, fresh off the success of th...

    Read More
  • THEY CAME TO A CITY (1944)

    Ealing Studios are best known for their post-war comedies, which gently satirised British society. But one earlier Ealing production had ...

    Read More

© Starburst Magazine - all rights reserved

  • Contact
  • Privacy