Upstream Color : Go Dallas, Thanks Shane

Just some thoughts

The Amy character's hypnosis/ financial robbery was neatly backdropped by the chilly rain & mist common here in November. A 'fall' from grace.

Their investigation of the Sampler's domain, as well as the piglets' murder and the orchid pickers' discovery was clearly filmed in January or February, as the trees are completely devoid of all leaves, and yet the clover plus fledgling green of the new season's grass is sprouted & spread all along the ground.

Aesthetics that added to the texture of the piece are the harsh interior lighting of the DART train; the sterility of public space lighting takes the forefront at this bleak time of year; long nights and short often grey days. Perfect shorthand for conveying the desolation of the characters at that point in the film.


It's gratifying to see Dallas used the way it really appears instead of forced attempts to choke the viewer on mawkish icons of pumpjacks (which it doesn't have), cactus & tumbleweeds (which it never had) and to break the unforgiving simpleton scriptwriter shorthand of football & cadillacs; just as stupid as suggesting LA is nothing but surfers and India is nothing but snake charmers and everyone in China knows kung fu.

Every October & March the trees and power lines in Dallas are truly chocker block full of crows and grackles. The city sits in the continent's migratory path. At these times the branches will be absolutely buzzingly full of birds that have just flown all day; it is as loud as a sporting event. There is no CGI or soundwork trickery in Amy & Shane's Central Market parking lot scene of traded childhood memories, in fact this scene only captures a portion of it.

Yes, I too appreciated the Dallas scenery. It's not often I can recognize THAT specifically where things were filmed. St. Paul Station on the north side, looking west.

Into every life a little coffee must spill.

That's right St. Paul next to what is at the time of this posting a 7-11.

I'm also fairly certain the table they're sitting at when Kris/Amy reveals her prescription bottles is inside what is at the time of this posting Miguel's Cantina at the corner of Akard and Pacific (not sure what it was back in `11/`12 when they were shooting). There is actually only one spot in town where the DART cars come in at an angle like that as seen from the windows.

Ah yes, good catch. I may eventually re-watch Upstream Color now that I know what it's about.

In other Dallas news, a) I actually knew Shane Carruth briefly when he was a co-worker of mine. Cool dude. And b) I miss the downtown Galilee Grill. They turned that into yet another 7-11 humorously.

Although there is great choice of location in this film (they all work to tell the story), I did notice that the locations chosen in Shane's other film Primer were more iconic and identifiable because of their distinct looks Addison square, UT Dallas skywalks, Richardson Public Library.