Back in January, "Upstream Color" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was greeted with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Writer-director Shane Carruth - most known for his debut feature "Primer" - created an intellectually demanding film that forces you to interpret rather than understand. Far from typical Hollywood fare, "Upstream Color" is a beautiful poem of tonality, manipulating the visual and aural aspects of filmmaking to create something unique.
"Upstream Color" also benefited greatly from the performances of a strong cast. One such cast member is Andrew Sensenig, whose character is known only as The Sampler. The role can be interpreted many ways, with some of his actions being easily explained - it's clear he's a pig farmer and an avid sound recorder - while other actions are a bit murkier.
Who is The Sampler exactly, and what role does he play in this story of two people trying to piece together their shattered lives? We spoke with Sensenig and hoped for the answer to this question, as well as others regarding the difficulties of working on such a unique project.
StageBuddy: What was your first encounter with writer-director Shane Carruth? How did you get involved in this project?
Andrew Sensensig: I had heard through the grapevine that Shane was going to be shooting his new movie in the Dallas area, where I am based; and being a major fan of "Primer", I started networking with different friends to get more information. I was able to come across Ben LeClair, the L.A. producer for the film, and I introduced myself and asked if I could get more details on the project. The script was sent to me, and upon the very first reading, I just knew I had to be a part of this project. Immediately, I put a few scenes on tape for the production team, and also asked Ben to arrange a lunch with Shane and me. And as fate would have it, Shane and I hit it off immediately, and fortunately, they very much like how I brought The Sampler to life in the audition.
SB: "Upstream Color" is such a visually driven film, so one wonders what it was like reading through the script? Were you able to get a sense of what direction the film would be taken in?
AS: The script is literally as visual as the film itself. I was so absolutely engrossed when reading the screenplay; the pacing, the language of the shots, and the soundscape jumped off the page. It has to be one of the most complete screenplays I've ever read. As far as direction, again, because of the depth of the words, the shape of the story easily came to life. Shane seemed to already be editing the film in his mind as we was putting ink to the page.
SB: Did the ambiguous nature of the film make it difficult to connect with your character, The Sampler?
AS: That's an interesting question considering I don't think of The Sampler as ambiguous at all. I will agree with you that from the audience's perspective, The Sampler can mean many different things to many different people, but as far as how I worked to put breath into him, it was very matter of fact. The Sampler simply moved through his day doing the things he has always done and always known he was to do; record sounds, compose and record music, tend to the farm, and help those individuals that would seek him out.
SB: How do you view The Sampler in the world of "Upstream Color"?
AS: I will have to leave the final answer up to each and every individual's view themselves. There have literally been hundreds of notes sent to me saying that I was indeed a villain, a broken god or hero, a simple pawn in the cycle; and so much more. I've heard that The Sampler represents faith, addiction, control, God, the Devil, our insecurities, even the Hollywood system itself. Personally, the thing that I have enjoyed the most as a result of this film is talking with people and hearing how they came up with their own view of The Sampler. He's a very polarizing and pivotal force while also being quiet, sincere, giving, and all knowing. We may need to simply take a survey and see how the world responds.
SB: Carruth places dialogue sparsely throughout the film, with much emphasis put on editing and cinematography. How did this affect your performance?
AS: To be perfectly honest, the minimal dialogue that The Sampler has actually helped me in creating the character. So much of his world is in complete isolation, even when integrating with other characters. As an actor, I always approach my character from the soul outward rather than any outward physical appearance. If I can't "feel' the character internally, then it's artificial to me. And, clearly, The Sampler deals from a very internal place which motivates his desire to create sound, if that makes any sense. The fewer words that are spoken by him, the more ever present he feels.
SB: If you had to pitch the experience of watching "Upstream Color", how would you describe it to a potential viewer?
AS: When I saw the film for the first time at Sundance this year, I was completely taken aback. While I was a major part of the film, I had never seen everything put together; and honestly had no idea how Shane and David Lowery's editing would keep me glued to the seat for 96 minutes straight. The overall beauty of the film layered with the spectacular sound design by Johnny Marshall, the performance of Amy Seimetz, and a story the hits home with 100% of the viewing audience, it's simply a film that must be seen. If you want an experience that will keep your mind racing for days and allow for hours upon hours of discussion with your friends and family arguing creation, faith, control, love, music, God, addiction, our economy, and life at its purest sense, there is no better option than "Upstream Color".
"Upstream Color" is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Netflix Instant.
