Upstate Story

SPOILER: Look, It doesn't take long to realize that while dated visually, There's something there. There's a reason people respond to it so well and think of it so highly. Upstate Story delivers a message that we are all familiar with in a way and I think that is the driving force behind it.

But, and I still stand firm on this point, I disagree with the ending. The character steps into his home after finishing the work week and we are transported to the magically land of color where we get to meet...his children. It genuinely threw me through a loop. While I understand it as a kind of saving grace after the mundane work week, There was just no set up for it. Not a single piece of dialogue used to even hint at it and that is where I dock points, good sir.

Proving in powerful fashion that, with a great idea and strong filmmaking talent, anything is possible, Upstate Story proves a surprising and engrossing piece of independent cinema from start to finish. It's a relatable, down-to-earth story that features impressive emotional depth, bolstered by unique narrative and visual techniques throughout.

Upstate Story is as small as independent cinema gets, made on a minute budget compared to the titans of Hollywood, and featuring a very small cast, almost entirely centred around the performance of writer-director Shaun Rose. However, if ever there were proof that you don't need thousands of A-listers and billions of dollars to make a great movie, it's Upstate Story.

Using its small budget to ingenious effect throughout, the film paints a powerfully intimate portrayal of life in modern society, uniquely blending a dour, pessimistic view of the world with striking bittersweet emotional depth.

The story of a man struggling through the working week just to get to the weekend, it's a deeply relatable tale of a feeling that everybody knows well, but is often reluctant to voice out loud. However, while Upstate Story provides a striking and often heavy-going look at a soul-destroying working routine, you'll see that its heart is absolutely in the right place.

Starting off in brilliantly captivating fashion as our leading man, Ellis, explains how the end of his weekend is the most depressing moment of each week, the film cleverly unfolds with multifaceted and surprising depth throughout, ultimately looking at more than just the struggles of getting through the week, but a deeper, more heartening look at the meaning of life.

It may sound like an enormous topic to tackle in just 61 short minutes and on a tiny budget, but Upstate Story does an incredible job at just that. Starting from that relatable standpoint of working just to get to the weekend, the film opens up brilliantly in its latter stages, with a surprising and brilliantly effective visual twist that subverts all expectations.

There are admittedly times when Upstate Story can drag in its middle portion, when all seems without hope, however it comes good in the end with that striking and resonant finale.

And with a screenplay that delivers captivating narration, filled with both dark humour and powerfully introspective emotion, the film proves an enthralling watch right the way through, overcoming any prejudices you may have going in with regards to its budget, and delivering a genuinely impressive, memorable and uniquely powerful drama.

On the main page for this film, someone made the broad opinion and without a spoiler warning, that this film made no sense due to certain events taking place. I feel that the surprise was quite fitting. I feel it was meant to be a twist of sorts. Was he going to live it up with friends? Potential suicide? Murder? When it comes... it's very real. No seeing of dead people. No shower scene. No forced narrative shock. The unexpected flow of this project is what makes it so unique. After a 2nd viewing, visual hints are there. The voice over writing was really quite good. The delivery even better. Recommended to those looking to inspire no-budge creators and those looking ro pursue more immediate filmmaking. Greetings from Russia!

No spoilers ahead, but the movie hit me hard and came from out of nowhere. Being filmed so modestly really helped this work when it came to telling the story. It's bold and heavy at times, but honest all throughout.

The no-budget field of indie filmmaking is a wildly vast and varied field. Horror is typically filled with cliched jump scares, comedy that is largely inconsistent and dramas that lack character. This is quite different. It's heavy at times and obviously intentional. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The handling of the weekly grind is done exceptionally well considering the budget. The gritty photography works well to compliment the overall pessimistic feel of the story. The dialogue for the internal monologue of the central character (Ellis) feels natural and quite consistent with how so many of us feel throughout our lives. To top all of this off, we have an equally impressive, but highly unorthodox score that matches the overall feel of the film. Quite relatable and beyond that, it's even more impressive considering the means and limited crew which were used.