Shane Carruth’s enigmatic debut Primer won the jury prize at Sundance in 2004. A wildly inventive low budget genre-bender with a fascinating time-travelling element, the film went on to gain a discerning following worldwide.

Nine years on, and Carruth’s second idiosyncratic feature arrives, a romantic dream of a film to delight those who fell under the spell of Primer and to win over those uninitiated. The plot of Upstream Colour is elusive, its drama intriguingly wistful. Kris (Amy Seimetz) is kidnapped by a thief who feeds her drugs that allow him to control her mind. He makes off after getting her to sign her house and all other assets over to him. Her tormentor is gone, but nothing seems right, until she connects with Jeff (played by Carruth himself), a fellow damaged soul. A tentative relationship begins, though something is happening that is bigger than them both.

Five Star Friday with the release of Upstream Colour (reviews)