IMDb 6.5 2013 HD

Upstream Color

Upstream Color

2013
Drama Science Fiction
96 min NR USA
6.326 / 10
6.5 IMDB

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

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director Shane Carruth
Starring
Amy Seimetz / Shane Carruth / Andrew Sensenig / Thiago Martins / Carolyn King / Mollie Milligan / Myles McGee / Ashton Miramontes

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

enigmatic profound disorienting abstract beautiful challenging unsettling unique experimental atmospheric emotional thought-provoking

Reviews

C
Chloe Davies
Apr 23, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

A film that intentionally defies easy categorisation, 'Upstream Color' offers a unique, albeit often perplexing, viewing experience. Amy Seimetz and Shane Carruth anchor the film with understated performances that convey a deep sense of emotional turmoil. The direction…

B
Benjamin Carter
Apr 23, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

Shane Carruth's 'Upstream Color' is a triumph of experimental filmmaking. It’s a film that trusts its audience implicitly, presenting a complex narrative about an ageless organism and its impact on human lives without spoon feeding answers. Amy Seimetz…

I
Isabelle Dubois
Apr 23, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

'Upstream Color' is a film that dares to be different, presenting a challenging yet often mesmerising exploration of identity and connection. The performances from Amy Seimetz and Shane Carruth are deeply internalised, conveying a sense of shared trauma…

M
Marcus Thorne
Apr 23, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

A truly singular achievement, 'Upstream Color' is less a conventional film and more an immersive sensory experience. Carruth masterfully crafts a mood of disquieting beauty, where the narrative threads of a man and woman entangled with an ageless…

E
Eleanor Vance
Apr 23, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

Shane Carruth's 'Upstream Color' is a cinematic enigma, a film that lodges itself in your psyche and refuses to leave. Amy Seimetz and Carruth himself deliver raw, disquieting performances as two souls irrevocably bound by an unseen force.…

FAQs

While 'Upstream Color' features elements that might be associated with science fiction, such as the ageless organism and its unusual lifecycle, it transcends strict genre classification. It's more accurately described as an experimental drama or a philosophical thriller. The film uses its speculative premise to delve into deeply human themes of connection, identity, and trauma, prioritising psychological and emotional exploration over traditional sci-fi tropes. The genre-bending nature is key to its unique artistic impact.