Upside Down
2012
**
Director: Juan Solanas
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall, Jayne Heitmeyer, Blu Mankuma
Somewhere in a different solar system, two adjacent twin planets have opposing gravitational pulls. The rich people live Up Top and the poor people Down Below, and the only connection between the two are the headquarters of TransWorld, which oversees the segregation of the worlds. This evil corporation now employs Adam and Eden, two lovers who were forcibly separated in their teenage years. Juan Solanas opens his science fiction romance with a comprehensive five minute introduction to the laws of his universe. Then he spends the rest of the running time breaking his own rules. The concept is ambitious and intriguing but it's obvious from the start that it's not going to hold up to scrutiny. The nonsensical plot raises so many questions that it takes all attention away from the interplanetary Romeo and Juliet story, which is probably a good thing because the romance is bland, the characters are dumb and the ending they get is simply wrong. Solanas in far more interested in the visuals, which are admittedly striking. The topsy-turvy office floors on top of each other and Adam's plunge from one ocean to another are awe-inspiring. It's a shame there is no movie to go with the images.
