Primer
2004 · Movie · PG-13 · 77 min · ★ 6.8 · 70% critics
A small team of inventors creates a prototype that lets them manipulate reality, starting with surprising wins like stock market success. As they experiment and try to stay ahead, the consequences of their choices begin to catch up, turning progress into a tense, confusing puzzle.
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Details
- Years
- 2004
- Release date
- 2004-10-08
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 77 min
- Critic score
- 70/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (2,426 votes)
- Box office
- $424,760
- Budget
- $7,000
About
Not for you if you want an easy-to-follow time travel story or lots of clear answers; if you like mind-bending sci-fi brain teasers like Coherence or Time Lapse, you’ll likely enjoy this.
Pros: clever time travel idea; engaging dialogue; thought-provoking puzzle | Cons: extremely hard to follow; low-budget limits; relentless conversation
Themes
- distrust
- garage
- mathematics
- identity crisis
- time travel
- time machine
- paradox
- mechanical engineering
- determinism
- incredulous
Awards & recognition
- Alfred P. Sloan Prize · 2004
- Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award · 2004
Cast & crew
Shane Carruth
as Aaron
David Sullivan
as Abe
Casey Gooden
as Robert
Anand Upadhyaya
as Philip
- CC
Carrie Crawford
as Kara
- JB
Jay Butler
as Metalshop Worker
- JC
John Carruth
as Man On Couch #1
- JT
Juan Tapia
as Man On Couch #2
- AW
Ashley Warren
as Hostess
- ST
Samantha Thomson
as Rachel Granger
Directed by Shane Carruth