UPSIDE DOWN (Juan Solanas, 2013)

[tabuno]

From the very opening titles there is magic in the creative, almost lyrical animation and a voice over which seems more like a rich, sonorous storytelling. Incorporated throughout the movie is a swirling, rich, ethereal and sparkling sound track by Oscar nominated Benoît Charest. His music resonates with a titillating foreign sounding charm resembling the haunting but mesmerizing tones of Cliff Martinez in Solaris (2002), another science fiction work and love story, that even evolves into a symphony of sounds beyond that of Martinez’s work and capturing the perfect blending of music to storyline found in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) or the superlative work of Mark Isham in The Cooler (2003). The off-balanced but captivating visual design, in part, seems to have been inspired by the groundbreaking effects of Inception (2010) or even 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or one could even extend such images to Being John Malkovich (1999). But unlike those, except perhaps 2001, this movie's the visuals consistently become the major design backdrop throughout most of Upside Down. There are fantastic photographic elements that take best advantage of film by using the intriguing plot element of two planets in close proximity to each other with intersecting gravities revolving around a star. At times the audience is swept into a wonderful world of magic and fantasy images and at other time times a down to earth carefree, innocent play resembling at first the same freshness from Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and later even elements of the stylish dichotomy of elitism in The Great Gatsby (2013) or the epic romance saga of the science fiction movie Cloud Atlas (2012).

There are slight dissonant time editing jumps early in the movie from the uneven unfolding of the belated meeting of the protagonists of the two worlds leaving out a "seamlessly" wonderful experience of exploration and innocent discovery and again in the belatedly explained transition into the upside down office scene. Whether or not these directorial decisions result in a complete Gestalt-making experience in their sometimes non-linear presentation and are ultimately effective remains an interesting question warranting further scrutiny and repeated viewings. The art design isn’t as rich as its contemporary Tom Cruise’s Oblivion (2013), the movie classic Bladerunner (1982) or Gattaca ( 1997) another similarly themed, romantic sci fi movie or the dazzling surrealistic romantic fantasy with Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come (1998). Upside Down's major buildings and landscape visual detail are relatively mediocre in comparison seemingly appearing as impressionistic brushstrokes without vividness which in the 1950s or 1960s would have excelled in that era. Whether the director chose the darker pallet and artistically cluttered appearance to mask this weakness or to enhance the rich ambiance of the movie like the horror film Dark Water (2005) but using much a brighter version in mood is disputable. And unlike Gattaca, the decent attempts at detailed and sophisticated deception aren’t quite as clearly, consistently demonstrated, including an ID card that could have been more believably altered. At the same time, even though Gerard Butler in Gamer (2009) may have had similar themes as Upside Down, it was mostly focused on the more popular physical action thrills rather than the more sedate and reflective emotive presentation experienced in Upside Down, and instead came across more like Ray Bradbury’s science fiction novel adaptation in Fahrenheit 451 (1966) which may explain Upside Down’s exclusion from a popular mainstream public theater release status. Upside Down lifts itself up with the fascinating sequences of the juxtaposition of different gravities that are ominously and buoyantly present but never quite annoyingly overused or pretentiously shot and the extended relational confrontations, personal psychological uncertainties, and haunting memories that aren’t as superficial or two-dimensional as typical movies. Instead Upside Down offers insight into our own world social class discrimination and our personal complex life compromises that we ourselves are faced with as was the value of human courage, perseverance, and ingenuity. Such depth to the characters and their interactions offer a more layered and substantive movie experience.

Upside Down is the Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella themed movie of expressionist movie-making with the elements of pure love and life and death drama of pain of injury and terrible lost and retribution and redemption. Unlike an older version of super-powered Superman or the Spiderman II love encounters or even the visually ground-breaking and more action-thrilled Avatar ( 2009), towards the end of Upside Side there is a romance scene that is so naturally provocative, perhaps one of the best shot scenes in movie-making that captures the real beauty of the unique photographic magical essence of movie-making as an art medium. It is obvious that there has been a lot of work put into the plot and visual design elements that eventually combine to make an exciting, exhilarating, thought-provoking and most importantly an emotionally satisfying experience as one finds in the more sober science fiction tinged Another Earth (2011) or even Kirsten Dunst’s own more singular stunning performance in Melancholia (2011).

[oscar jubis]

Color me curious. Thanks for the review of this French-Canadian movie.