Kelsey thinks she's outwitted her best friends and tries to subtly confront them about their secret affair.
#StrictlyIndie Film Views: "Upstream Color"
Upstream Color is one of those films to which you need to give your undivided attention. This was also the case with Shane Carruth's breakout feature film, Primer (2004). Carruth packs a lot of information into fast-moving shots with little dialogue or plot; and even if you do try your best to soak it all in, it can still be difficult to grasp. The film begins with a mysterious individual who seems to have found use of a certain worm living in the soil of his garden. He experiments with the worm as a parasite, slipping the insect onto a woman named Kris (Amy Seimetz). The parasite strips Kris of independent thought and, before she knows it, the mysterious individual has conditioned her into forking over her money through the equity of her home. A series of strange events then unfold. Kris meets a man on the train named Jeff (Shane Carruth), who she seems to share a biological connection with. He may have also been experimented on. Their strange affair turns suddenly serious and Carruth begins to delve deep into the films many themes.
From disease to the power of solitude, Carruth's vision is heavily filtered through the work of David Thoreau's "Walden," which is constantly shown and quoted. Ultimately, the film feels like a social experiment and a voyage of spiritual discovery that never really connects you to the characters, but rather keeps you distanced and clinical in speculation. Carruth's usage of blues, grays and whites, along with constantly lingering on the verge of overexposure, does a good job of supporting that theme quite powerfully.
Upstream may not be a film for everyone to enjoy; but it can be compelling to a good many, leaving its images ingrained in your mind long after viewing. It's intriguing. It's bewildering. It's thought provoking. One of its more basic themes of human connection may get you wondering if there's another person out there, going through the same exact movements as you, somehow bound to you just as they are to everything in nature.
The film is currently streaming on Netflix Instant. Be sure to add it to your queue if it sounds like your kind of movie.
Review by Ryan Kramer
Kelsey Ep.6 "UHaul-er"
Kelsey had a one night stand. Or so she thought. Tyrone is all ears over brunch.
IndieWorks: November Recap
in IndieWorks
Last Wednesday, we held our November series of IndieWorks at PEOPLE's lounge. It was a fun night with a great blend of filmmakers. Check out the winning filmmakers & photos from the night below.
The awards go to...
At the end of the evening, we announced our winning filmmakers for both Audience Choice Award & Silver Whiskers Award. The Audience Choice Award is voted upon by all those in attendance, and the Silver Whiskers is judged by the CongestedCat Team based on a system rating 8 categories of Story, Dialogue/Writing, Direction, Acting, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Production Value. It goes on to screen at our end of the year Best of Fest event.
For the November 2013 lineup, our winning filmmakers were:
Audience Choice Award: "Do It Yer'Self" Written/Directed by Mike Dimitroulakos.
Silver Whiskers Award: "Guides" Written/Directed by Dani Tenenbaum.
So long, 2013.
We'll be taking a break from IndieWorks this December, picking back up in the new year! We'll have three screenings at the start of 2014 leading up to our Best of Fest screening in April featuring all our Silver Whisker winners of our first year of IndieWorks, hopefully at a more theatrical venue, before picking up with year 2 back at PEOPLE's lounge in June. During our downtime for the rest of 2013, we're going to be working on what's next for IndieWorks & CongestedCat altogether. We won't be hiding at all, though; in addition to our bi-monthly episodes of Kelsey & updates about Summit, we'll be bringing you content like our Insider Series and new Strictly Indie Film Views. Ah, what's that last thing, you say?
Strictly Indie Film Views
We're supporters of Independent Film & try to draw attention to what up-and-comers are working on. As such, we've decided to add a series to our blog where we'll be reviewing independent features. Ryan Kramer is our primary author behind this project, and you can read the first of his series now on "Kill Your Darlings."
Be sure to check it out and reach out via twitter @ryankramer.
Kelsey Ep.5 "A Best Friend's Birthday"
Kelsey finally has a date from an online dating site. She's so excited she forgets to stop talking.