Upside Down has long been one of my most anticipated films of the year, promising to be one of the most fantastic sci-fi/fantasy romantic dramas in recent memory.
Starring Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess in the leads, we saw the stunning first international trailer all the way back in January, and have seen a small number of things since then, but it has been largely very quiet; even the first official US trailer is still yet to debut.
I’m hoping, however, that that will soon change.
Though it may not be official, the film’s release date on IMDb has recently been updated to 10th December this year, which would put it in a potential prime position in the coming awards season.
It’s worth noting, however, that this date should be taken with a pinch of salt – IMDb also list the Canadian release as 31st August this year, but when I was in Toronto for TIFF, I couldn’t find any cinema screening it, nor any reference to it online, and BoxOfficeMojo seem not to have any records for a Canadian release, so I’d imagine that, like America, Canada still hasn’t seen the film yet either.
One country that has seen its release is Russia, where it was released on 23rd August and debuted at #2 at the box office with just over $3m. And Poland, Ukraine, and Hong Kong have all also seen the film arrive in theatres in recent weeks.
The Cannes Jury Prize-winning director, Juan Diego Solanas (The Man Without a Head), makes his English language feature debut behind the camera, directing from a script he co-wrote with Santiago Amigorena (A Few Days in September).
“Upside Down tells the story of two star crossed lovers Adam (Sturgess) and Eve (Dunst) separated by opposite worlds, one up and one down, but both just out of reach of the other.”
The premise for the film is definitely intriguing, and if you’ve seen the first trailer (which I’ve embedded below), then you’ll hopefully agree that the visuals look incredibly impressive, which is one of the reasons why I think an awards campaign could well be on the cards.
The film looks like its own unique blend of Inception/Gattaca/In Time all rolled into one, the first two of which were nominated for Best Art Direction at the Oscars, which is a category that could be in play here, too.
If the release date is right, it will be opening on the Monday before Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and could well find a niche audience for those not looking to head to Middle-earth, as well as bringing in those who are in the four days before The Hobbit’s release that week.
Dunst is coming off the back of the well-received Bachelorette, and will be just about to arrive in theatres in On the Road, due out on 21st December in the US. Sturgess is about to head into theatres this month as one of the strongest components in the Cloud Atlas ensemble, the film itself an awards contender, in which he gives a heroic turn in all his various roles, which could well push his recognition prior to this December release.
As things stand, Upside Down can be tentatively pencilled into your diary for 10th December. With a bit of luck, we’ll hear something more concrete in the very near future, but I’ll take anything I can get in the meantime. This has been on my Must-Watch list for some time now, and I’m hoping it will arrive in theatres before the year’s end, and maybe even get the awards campaign it looks like it could deserve. For now, I’ll leave you with the trailer, which should get you as excited about the film as I am. Enjoy.
[yframe url=’www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPirMc402s’]
