“Are you ready for this?”

So begins Upstream Color, the beautiful and challenging new film from Shane Carruth (Primer), opening at the Tiff Bell Lightbox this Friday, April 12th. You might find yourself wondering that very thing in the film’s opening minutes, and indeed throughout: are you, or were you, ready for this?  It sounds like a dramatic question to ask re: watching a movie, but Upstream Color is no ordinary film-going experience.

Not surprisingly, it is one that has people talking: it was one of the most-hyped films when it debuted at Sundance this year, and during the festival it was trending more on Twitter than Sundance itself. After viewing, it is easy to see why. It is absolutely fascinating: an absorbing, affecting, and challenging film that is nearly impossible to describe.

At its simplest, the film’s “plot” involves a woman: Kris (played with beautiful shades of darkness and levity by Tiny Furniture’s Amy Seiritz), a man: Jeff (played by Carruth himself) and… a pig farmer-turned-composer called The Sampler.  (If you’re already dismissing the film as pretentious or ludicrous, hear me out… If not, you should probably just go get your tickets right now!) The lives of these three characters intersect in direct and indirect ways, and the action, such as it is, ping-pongs forwards and backwards in time and in scope. There are numerous motifs throughout, exploring, among other things, the mechanized world vs. the natural one, and isolation vs. universal consciousness. And somehow, Upstream Color remains incredibly watchable, almost entrancing throughout.

The film also manages to oscillate effortlessly between genres: from arthouse, to thriller, to sci-fi, and romance (GQ recently called it “the most surreal date movie ever”). There have been numerous comparisons to Terrance Malick’s polarizing The Tree of Life, as well as to Cronenberg’s work- especially in regards to a few squeamish moments of bodily horror*. I was also reminded of Brit Marling’s thoughtful sci-fi indie Another Earth, especially in Seiritz’ intimate performance at the center of the film.

Suffice it to say, the impact of the film manages to transcend what it’s “about” or even what it “is”, and this is entirely due to Carruth’s remarkable artistry and vision. The visuals (cinematographer: Carruth) are rich, beautiful and jarring; and the soundscape, which won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance (and is also alllllll Carruth), is both lyrical and confrontational. Together, they create a dizzying, intimate, and incredibly emotional film. I may not have understood Upstream Color, but watching it was certainly an incredible experience, and one unlike anything I’d ever encountered at the movies.

Showtimes and tickets here.

NOTE: I saw the film alone and am pretty obsessed/ fascinated. Please comment below re: your thoughts, should you end up seeing it.  I am dying for a dialogue! Hello, the internet!

*If you have any issues with worms, pigs, surgery, blood, and super aggressive Foley, this might not be your fave new flick. (Although most of those things are contained in one intense, but brief, section of the film.)