The basics
The film is really unique in several different ways:
1. One man produced, financed, starred in, composed the music for and wrote the movie: Shane Carruth
2. The technical details and process that the main characters go through creating the machine are not watered down for a "normal" audience. It makes the movie highly enjoyable for anyone with an engineering background, or even just your average geek.
3. The timeline for the movie is incredibly obfuscated, making it difficult to comprehend the first time you see the movie.
By far, Primer is my favorite movie of all time because it is more like taking a peek deep down inside the mind of the man who made it. You can't help but feel a personal connection with Shane after viewing it. Additionally, it's not a passive form of entertainment, the movie engages your mind and forces you to think, very hard, about the events that are presented to you.
Reviews
(without any spoilers)
- Mike Riley's take on Primer
- Pretty good writeup, if I do say so myself ;) I mostly wrote this with the idea in mind to convince people to see the movie, rather than explain it to them.
primer movie trailer
a little preview of what it is
A movie that engages you and requires you to THINK
By far the greatest thing about this movie is the fact that it requires an analytical mind and a good bit of thinking in order to understand what happens. It's for people who like entertainment that requires you to WATCH it instead of just sitting back and casually observing it.
In depth timeline
WARNING THIS CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS ABOUT THE MOVIE
With the movie being a little difficult to understand, even after watching it a few times, I'm going to highlight some of the basics, and try to move on to clear up some of the more complicated issues.The entire movie takes place over the course of a few days in March. The scenes are not displayed in true chronological order, but the order they are displayed in seems to tell a chronologically sound story, at first glance. The trick here is that when you are watching any given scene, it is from the appropriate date and time that would normally place it in order with the rest of the scenes in the movie, but that date and time is recorded from an instance of either before or after our characters have used the time machine. This is where the majority of confusion comes from when viewing the movie.
Scenes that are in this "alternate reality" are first introduced to the movie when Abe approaches Aaron in the park and gives him the "if you promise to do the few small things I ask..." line. From this point forward it is very important to pay close attention to small details, and try to string together some sense out of the chronology of the disarranged scenes.
I won't give away too much, but in order to give you a little direction when figuring out the movie, here are some key points:
a day in the box
"You got anything to eat? I haven't eaten anything since later this afternoon."
main points of confusion
where most people get lost when viewing the film
- Names: Aaron is the main character, the one with a wife and child.
- Throughout the movie, there are (by my approximation) 7 different timelines that occur simultaneously.
- By the end of the movie you have encountered 4 different copies of Aaron and 3 different copies of Abe.
- The incedent with Mr. Grangier is the one "grey area" in the movie, and by the writer's own admission, nobody really ever understands why it occurs.
- The "failsafe" machine allows the characters to go back before any of the trouble started, Abe had the foresight to install it and turn it on before any of the rest of the machines.
How exactly does this time travel thing work?
Rules to Follow to Evade Causality Paradoxes or Generally Screwing Your Life Up:
- Do not disturb the box after you exit it. You or your double is in it.
- When re-experiencing time stay away from your double until he/she has started his/her journey backwards.
- Worry about yourself first. Now is the only moment that has to make sense.
- Don't be too curious about your surroundings.
an amazing production
on a microbudget
People generally went crazy for this thing when it came out, it's a hard sell to major film distributors because it lacks that blockbuster/Hollywood edge, but it sure is some damn fine film making. The entire movie was produced for $7000, and it still managed to claim the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2004. The movie really is incredible just from the production standpoint alone, not to mention the fact that it contains one of the most intriguing and thought provoking story lines that I've come across in any form of entertainment. Interview with Shane Carruth
Rare glimpse into the man behind the making
Buy Primer
You know you want to.
Primer
Everything you think you know about modern science is about to unravel in this critically acclaimed film about two young engineers and the consequences they face when they invent a machine that enables them to travel back in time.Running Time: 77 min.Format: DVD MOVIE
Release Date: 04/19/2005
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 07/06/2009) 
List Price: $27.98
Used Price: $9.94
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blogosphere on primer
see what the bloggers have to say about it
I remember someone described it as a "futile exercise in obfuscation" or something like that, but I don't think it was futile at all. The difficulty people encounter absorbing this movie is why I love it.
- Run-Time Errors - Primer / Shane Carruth Interview
- Primer, in case you haven't seen it, is one of the most interesting and cost-effective independent films ever made. Created by Shane Carruth for a budget of $7000 (not including post-production), the movie is exceptionally well-done for ...
- Primer | Movie Review - TotallyHer.com
- Director Shane Carruth uses authentic dialogue rather than simplifying concepts for the audience, and this lends both to the authenticity and to the confusion within the film. Eventually you start to get the hang of the physics lingo, ...
- Primer Review | Lock, Stock, and Two Film Geeks
- Primer, the 2004 independent science-fiction film written by, directed by, and starring Shane Carruth is the rare movie with no exposition, and no explanation of the more technical aspects of the film (and lets be honost, ...
- More of the Best Movies You've Never Seen | Scathing Reviews for ...
- Primer (2004) ($500000): In creating a complex, well-acted, mindbending sci-fi flick for $7000 ? seven-fucking-K! ? director Shane Carruth jabbed a sharp stick in the eye of every overpaid studio hack, the scores of producers and ...
are you a primer fan? do you want to be?
let's hear what all of you have to say about it? questions? comments? concerns? I know someone has to have some!
yelirekim wrote...
in reply to keelaay the first machine is created by abe before the park bench scene takes place, after he has created this machine (and a failsafe) he goes and gives the "if you promise to do the few small things i ask" speech to aaron, and they continue their days activities, culminating in the moment when aaron witnesses the still live copy of abe "return" to the machine and enter it
please don't hesitate to email me if you have other questions about the movie: mikeriley@yelirekim.com
Posted July 06, 2009
keelaay wrote
PLEASE HELP! My problem remains my confusion with both Aarons and Abes apparently going back to a timeline before the first box (failsafe) was created. The scene that I cant get my arms around is when Aaron and Abe are testing their watches and figuring out the weebles in the garage after the first park bench seen. This is when they figure it out the thing is a time machine, right? But Aaron calculates numbers in his head way to quickly and is snapping his pliers impatiently apparently because he talking thru a conversation he has already heard. Then they walk out on the driveway and commit to building the box, right? But Abe has already gone back in the box once because this is after the park bench scene, right?? So how in the world could either Aaron or Abe travel back to a time prior to figuring out the concept of the machine with their watches and prior to when the decide to build a box?? It seems to me that the box has not been created yet so these must be first gen. Aarons and Abes. But it's after the park bench encounter%u2026 I know I must be missing something obvious. Please help!!
Posted July 05, 2009
Chris wrote
This is definitely one of the most thought-provoking movies I have ever watched and would recommend seeing this film to anyone.
Posted September 20, 2008
