Upside Down
2012 · Directed by Juan Diego Solanas
Original language: English
- romance
- science fiction
- drama
- fantasy
The story
In an alternate universe where twinned worlds have opposite gravities, a young man battles interplanetary prejudice and the laws of physics in his quest to reunite with the long-lost girl of his dreams in this visually stunning romantic adventure that poses the question: what if love was stronger than gravity?
What it’s like
Lush, vertiginous imagery dominates: two worlds hang in a single sky, one above the other, and the film leans into that doubled horizon with wide, painterly vistas of cliffs, sea and glittering cities, many shot with a dreamy, saturated sheen. Its palette shifts between warm, sun-washed upper-world ochres and cool, grimy lower-world greys, with sudden bursts of neon-bright ornament. Camera moves are sweeping and fluid, often floating through spaces as if weightless, while the score is orchestral and swelling, full of romantic longing. The mood is wistful and earnest, a mix of fairy-tale wonder and class-conscious melancholy, with a bittersweet, love-against-the-odds rhythm that moves briskly through its sequences. There is some peril and physical danger, with falls and a few tense confrontations, but no gore and little explicit cruelty; the harshest moments are about social injustice more than bloodshed. Best for viewers who want a romantic, visually inventive escape on a weekend afternoon, and for fans of gently fantastical, high-concept love stories.
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