How would you interpret the hidden meaning of 'Upstream Color' by Shane Carruth?

[Keith Leonard]

I think that it is below:

It's a movie about how a person loses everything, then that person goes to extreme moments, like depression. But then, that person will realize some things, like hope. But when that person finds hope, he/she doesn't have hope anymore. Despite that, in time, she/he realizes that it might work out, it might be her/his help. And then, that person will work it out with hard work and finally, live a happy life, but then, will again experience problems, problems he/she again, can't understand. But this time, that person doesn't have to be alone, because he/she has friends/helps by his/her side, and together, they will fix the problem.

I don't really get the interpretation of Shane Carruth himself about the movie interpretation is 'Identity defines you, or you define your identity.' What's your way of seeing it?

Oh and does Shane Carruth has a Twitter or Facebook, I really really like his movie 'Primer' too.

-TL

[Rosie-doll Too]

He doesn't seem like the type of person who would have a Facebook or Twitter.

I'm sure what exactly you're asking...just what the movie is about in general? I think that Carruth is the type of story-teller that understands that he's got one purpose for making a film (ie. it means a certain thing to him) but that it doesn't have to necessarily mean the same thing to anyone else who watches it. That's why his movies don't necessarily 'spoon-feed' the plot to you. You have to figure it out on your own and drawn your own conclusions that are meaningful to you as a viewer.


I understood the movie being mainly about consciousness (unconsciousness), connectivity, cycles, and free will. And I also saw striking similarities between the piglets and the two main characters of the movie. Since they were essentially connected (at least the piglets were explicitly connected with the female lead), they went through extreme trauma at the same time (the piglets getting thrown into the stream and the woman feeling frantic about the loss of her 'children').

I think if Carruth is saying "Identity defines you, or you define your identity" he's speaking about the fact that much of how those character are (what they think and how they behave) is tied to what's going on with their respective pigs at the time. Those pigs have part of them now that they are hosting the parasite....they are connected. The Sampler is doing all sorts of stuff (with sounds mostly) to those pigs and it's effecting the couple. So, really...until they find the orchids near the stream and 'remember' what happened to them and go to the pig farm and sort of 'take back' themselves....they really weren't in control of their own identity.

I really liked Primer as well (I had to stop it a couple times and look stuff up to get my head around it...but I still really liked it), and I liked Upstream Color even more. I hope he continues to make these types of intelligent and effecting movies. I also hope he continues to give his audience the respect they deserve by giving us a movie that doesn't have everything spelled out, I don't mind a little thought in my movie-going experience.