This is the time travel movie a great deal of people love, but very few people really discuss because Shane Carruth movies make people feel equal parts intrigued and confused. Again, not action, but wholly cerebral. Science fiction for a tiny budget and a huge mind. Primer is a movie that deals with time travel, and deals with it in ways we have never seen. This may be the “oooops, we built a time machine” story you have heard hundreds of versions of as a fan of the genre, but I can assure you have never heard (or seen) it like this.
So how do I explain Primer to those who have not seen it? Truth is, I don’t. I tell you it is an AMAZING movie about a group of guys who discover time travel by mistake, and then try to figure out what they should do about it next. There are a variety of timelines, and it is one of those movies I almost recommend people takes notes on when they watch. But still, Primer is an amazing example of what one man who has true love for the genre can produce. And do yourself a favor, see it more than once. Takes a few viewings for it to have the impact it deserves.
And don’t even get me started on Carruth’s follow up, Upstream Color. An amazing film, but one that deserves a whole article dedicated to it, for it is just that complex. Heck, maybe a whole book.
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