Film: Primer
Directed by Shane Carruth
United States (2003)
Science Fiction/Psychological Drama
8 Parts/ 77 mins
With optional English Subtitles (you might need the subtitles for some scenes of technical dialogue)
Please be sure to turn on the CC (closed captions) button to view subtitles
Subtitles are translatable to any language and can be moved by clicking and dragging the subtitles.
(Rated PG13 by MPAA)
Prepare your brain to be put through a blender with this ultra low-budget gem (made on a budget of $7,000) by first time director Shane Carruth and winner of the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. A thinking man's (or woman's) science fiction film that has generated a cult following because of its innovative plot structure and complex, technical dialogue. A rare science fiction film does not insult the intelligence of its audience by sugar-coating the science behind the fiction of the timeworn subject of time travel so often seen in other less-imaginative sci-fi films, and as a result, the director presents and reworks ideas and themes of past films in the genre in a refreshing manner. The most attentive viewers may have trouble finding their bearings as the film opens with a quick flow of engineering jargon, and anyone who can follow the temporal twists and inversions of the film's final third probably deserves an engineering degree. Primer is a witty, well-shot, and convincingly acted science-fiction brain twister, leading one to suspect that on repeated viewings a rock solid narrative will reveal itself. (And trust me, YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS FILM AT LEAST 2 OR 3 TIMES.)
Synopsis:
A group of four tech entrepreneurs, toiling away in a garage, have successfully created an error-checking system for their clients. But their recent work seems to have created an unexpected and seemingly impossible side-effect. Suddenly, two members of the group realize they are in possession of a device that can double, or perhaps even quadruple, the space-time continuum of anything that enters it. What at first seems like a windfall of astronomical proportions eventually proves to be much more than they bargained for. As the duo attempt to manipulate time to their financial advantage, when they begin to use the device to manipulate their personal lives, the two find themselves in an endless series of paradoxes and a growing amount of distrust. What seems like the standard foray into science fiction is revealed to be an ethical and philosophical rumination on the subject it tackles.
There is a moment in Primer that sums up the filmmaker's point-of-view quite nicely. It's not the line quoted in many reviews, where one addled engineer asks another, "Are you hungry? I haven't eaten since later this afternoon," although that line exemplifies Carruth's prickly wit. It takes place before the main characters' great, accidental discovery when two men discuss NASA's efforts to develop a pen that would work in zero gravity. After spending millions trying to work out the problem, the agency ended up using a simple pencil. Primer is the science-fiction film equivalent of that pencil, and the remarkable amount of bang the film gets for its buck is only one of its virtues. Primer is also a textbook example for young filmmakers that a film can be as big as you want it to be when creativity is your budget.
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Primer part 4by alchemistkx14,995 views
Why do the characters say everything twice in this movie???
Why do the characters say everything twice in this movie???
deletaras6230 2 days ago
its a time machine you can tell by the fungus build up
alex23250 2 months ago
geeks at 38 seconds...noooo!
defensorfidei 4 months ago
@nimmy0785 i didnt even understood the meaning of this film and it ended..lol
i am dumb ass
danipun1 5 months ago
@ps3consolewar I disagree, many of my favorite films require more than one viewing to understand everything. Like Donnie Darko for instance. While you can understand a lot of both of these movies in one viewing, you definitely need to watch it more than once to truly grasp everything, and that is a good thing. :)
thewordthatpierces 6 months ago 2
@thewordthatpierces you shouldn't have to watch a movie more than once to get it.
ps3consolewar 6 months ago
when the indian guy looks up he looks so funny
Rockyroopam 6 months ago
You definitely HAVE TO watch it more than once (for most ppl), to understand the movie. :) Ppl who stop watching part of the way through, or write it off after one view are missing out. :(
thewordthatpierces 6 months ago
@steveshaw83 nothing makes any sense anymore
nimmy0785 6 months ago
@nimmy0785 That still doesn't make any sense.
steveshaw83 6 months ago