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Primer

  • 2004
  • PG-13
  • 1h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
119K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,914
253
Primer (2004)
Prime Scene: Scene 1
Play clip0:37
Watch Prime Scene: Scene 1
3 Videos
24 Photos
Time TravelDramaSci-FiThriller

Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.

  • Director
    • Shane Carruth
  • Writer
    • Shane Carruth
  • Stars
    • Shane Carruth
    • David Sullivan
    • Casey Gooden
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    119K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,914
    253
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • Stars
      • Shane Carruth
      • David Sullivan
      • Casey Gooden
    • 558User reviews
    • 144Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos3

    Primer
    Trailer 1:42
    Primer
    Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Clip 0:37
    Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Clip 0:37
    Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Prime Scene: Scene 2
    Clip 1:59
    Prime Scene: Scene 2

    Photos24

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
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    + 20
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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Shane Carruth
    Shane Carruth
    • Aaron
    David Sullivan
    David Sullivan
    • Abe
    Casey Gooden
    Casey Gooden
    • Robert
    Anand Upadhyaya
    Anand Upadhyaya
    • Phillip
    Carrie Crawford
    • Kara
    Jay Butler
    • Metalshop Worker
    John Carruth
    • Man On Couch #1
    Juan Tapia
    • Man On Couch #2
    Ashley Warren
    • Hostess
    Samantha Thomson
    Samantha Thomson
    • Rachel Granger
    Chip Carruth
    • Thomas Granger
    Delaney Price
    • Laney
    Jack Pyland
    • Aaron's Co-worker
    Keith Bradshaw
    • Clean Room Technician
    Ashok Upadhyaya
    • Laboratory Technician
    Brandon Blagg
    • Will
    Jon Cook
    • Will's Cousin
    David Joyner
    • Rachel's Date
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews558

    6.7118.8K
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    Featured reviews

    ametaphysicalshark

    Staggeringly good, gorgeous, fascinating and beautifully structured science fiction film

    If you've heard that "Primer" is a complicated, dense, and difficult film, you heard correctly. This is not simple entertainment, not even complex entertainment, this is a film that demands true focus and attention, and only then is truly rewarding. I can imagine countless bored people who watched and listened to the movie but didn't REALLY pay attention to it, didn't think with it. You simply cannot expect to like "Primer" if you aren't prepared to be an active participant IN the film.

    The film is remarkably good visually, especially when budget is considered. Carruth clearly has a lot of talent. The cinematography is excellent, the shot composition is flawless, the strength of the visual storytelling astounding. Carruth's script is the best thing about the movie, and really isn't flawed at all. The dialogue flows naturally and the ideas are absolutely fascinating and captivating, and even the humor is effective. This movie does not use 'technobabble', it uses genuine scientific concepts as a basis for its events, and certainly some degree of knowledge of physics is needed for a proper understanding of the film.

    I have seen "Primer" four times and I still don't completely understand it (or, at least I couldn't explain it too well to someone else), even after reading dozens of explanations. It's an incredibly rich and detailed film, and it's one that not only rewards but actually requires multiple viewings. This will and has already put many, many people off watching the film, but it only increases its greatness in my opinion. It is simply incredible how much these guys came up with using so little. Carruth's vision was unique and complete, and he made possibly the greatest debut film ever made, and with a 2:1 shooting ratio (the ratio between the total duration of its footage shot and that which results from its final cut) at that. If that doesn't prove that Carruth knew what he was doing what does? One of the most inventive, original, and unique movies ever made.

    10/10
    8Chris_Docker

    A film for the days when science fiction was about wrestling with ideas . . .

    A group of young scientists work at a frantic pace to invent they are not quite sure what, but their efforts start demonstrating interesting side effects. From their work in a small cottage industry of error checking devices they are forced to confront the fact that they have discovered something too valuable to market. As they explore the potential of their machine, they are caught in a frantic loop to second guess themselves.

    Science fiction in the cinema has largely been dominated by the visual impact, and so this is a welcome (for some) return to the world of ideas. This is not an easy-rise entertainment film but one where you have to concentrate to keep up, working out the logical implications of what's happening. If made on the scale of Men in Black or the Matrix it would descend to the level of spoof – as it is we follow the two main characters knowing that their actions are having momentous effects on the world around them and on themselves. Instead of flashy graphics, we are left to keep the ramifications of the story in mind as the characters themselves grapple with what they know is happening but can't even let themselves look at directly.
    ChrisC_ATL

    Incredible

    You remember the first time you saw The Matrix (please, not the awful sequels) and you could barely keep up with what was going on, trying to piece together the pieces of what you were being told into a coherent story?

    This movie was exactly like that. The first half or so is fairly linear (despite the frenzied Altman-esque style of everyone talking on top of each other), but then it gets WEIRD and it just absolutely blew me away. This film won a major Sundance award, and normally that means I won't like it (especially the normally pandering audience award winners) but this movie, and first-time filmmaker Shane Carruth, deserves absolutely everything it gets. I am just blown away.

    Did you like Pi? If so, go see this one.

    By the way, the attention to detail in the beginning is great. Often in thrillers with technical content, if you have a technical education you have consciously ignore all the stupid movie crud that they pull to make it into a good story. But this movie pulls off an incredibly believable technical story, with only a few distracting gaffs. That is, the tech jargon is good enough that you don't get distracted and can focus on the story line.

    Final comment: Yes, it is very hard to follow the story line in this movie.

    Obviously I'm not going to spoil it, but I think the following fact will help when the movie gets kind of hairy towards the end: Aaron is the dark-haired guy, Abe is the blond-haired guy.

    This movie now has distribution and you should keep an eye out for it in the fall.
    7dark1rey_

    "Here's what's going to happen."

    You're going to watch this movie for the first time... and you won't understand it. It's that simple. Honestly, I don't think it's possible to grasp Primer in a single viewing, especially if you're going in with just the basics. And that's not a flaw - it's part of the design.

    Once it's over, you're left with two possible paths.

    The first option is to watch it again. And again. As many times as it takes until you start piecing the puzzle together on your own. This is the purest - and most challenging - way to approach the film: no spoilers, no external explanations, just your intuition, memory, and attention to detail. Trust me, two viewings won't be enough.

    The second option is to look for explanations. That's the one I chose. The video that helped me the most was "PRIMER (2004) - ILLUSTRATED EXPLANATION" by LondonCityGirl. Thanks to that, I was able to understand a big part of what was going on. Still, I kept digging, reading, and watching other analyses to catch more nuances. Primer is packed with visual clues, subtle gestures, and lines of dialogue that seem insignificant but carry a lot of weight.

    My first viewing was total confusion. And if I ever felt like something made sense, I was probably wrong.

    The second time was completely different. I started noticing connections, details I had completely missed before. But even then, I realized something crucial: even if you understand the fundamentals of the story, a lot still remains open to interpretation. And I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't looked up any explanations, I'd have been just as lost as I was the first time.

    My favorite scene is a specific one - an unexpected chase down the street - where the shift in tone, the music, the tension, and the atmosphere all come together so perfectly that I felt completely immersed in the film.
    9Quicksand

    No Maps for These Territories

    It's not easy to follow. The production values aren't perfect. There's not an obvious 'good guy' or 'bad guy.' But was this movie any good? Oh hell yes.

    This movie has been compared to "2001" because of the sci-fi angle. But while the movie has one sci-fi element in it (the device), the movie isn't even about that. It's about these two guys, and how it affects them individually, and their relationship with one another.

    I found this movie to be fairly challenging, but worth the ride. I was up for hours discussing this movie with friends, and if that's not what you like to do with your movies, then this one probably isn't for you. But if you like something that tweaks your brain, that you can watch repeated times, that you can really chew on... then here comes "Primer," like a ghost in the night.

    It's too early to tell where this movie will reside in cinematic history-- revered, forgotten, or somewhere in between-- but it's already won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (where it beat out 'Garden State'), and just won't go away. It moves along, it's clever, it held my attention. Even "Pi" didn't do that, and if you're a film nerd, that's saying something.

    If you're not a film nerd, approach this one with more caution. Remember, Shane Carruth had no idea even how to make a movie when he started making this one, but the end result is something far more fascinating than your typical film-school snob could ever put together. This is wholly original, and took me someplace I have never been. And that alone makes the "2001" comparison start to look more and more accurate.....

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The budget for the entire film was around $7000. Most of the money was spent on film stock.
    • Goofs
      During numerous takes the director, Shane Carruth, mutters "cut" under his breath. According to the DVD commentary, this is due to their extremely low budget which did not allow them to "waste" film. Carruth notes that a total of 80 minutes of usable footage was shot; the final film is 78 minutes.
    • Quotes

      Aaron: Man, are you hungry? I haven't eaten since later this afternoon.

    • Crazy credits
      Thanks to Scott Douglass for having the faith to invest in the final stages of marketing and post production
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Ray/Primer/Being Julia/The Final Cut/Vera Drake/Team America: World Police (2004)

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    FAQ

    • How long is Primer?
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    • Where did the title come from?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 25, 2005 (Turkey)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Máy Thời Gian
    • Filming locations
      • Henley's Aircraft Services - 15841 Addison Road, Addison, Texas, USA
    • Production company
      • ERBP
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $424,760
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,162
      • Oct 10, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $545,436
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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