Primer (film)

Primer is a 2004 independent film written, directed, produced by and starring Shane Carruth. A sci-fi puzzle thriller, it explores the effects of an accidental invention on its two creators.

Famously produced for USD $7000, the film played at festivals, collecting the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004, before receiving a limited release.

Plot

The contemporary film takes place in Coppell, Texas. Four engineers—Aaron, Abe, Robert, and Phillip—work for a large corporation during the day, and run a side business out of Aaron's garage designing, building, and selling their own electronic products. The four—who wear ties and business casual even in their side job—take turns deciding the direction of the group's focus for two month periods. All other decisions are made by voting. Because of their tight budget, Aaron constantly considers which parts might be scavenged from household items. Due to a difference of opinion on where the group should go next, Aaron and Abe independently take to designing a compact High-temperature superconductor . Their device is an improvement upon traditional superconductivity; an unexpected side effect of the machine has far greater implications.

The time travel events depicted in the film take place within a few days, in the month of March. The month can be intuited by the references to March Madness. In the commentary tracks on the DVD, Carruth says that the film is supposed to be "timeless" rather than set in any particular year. For this reason, out-of-date cellular telephones and laptop computer equipment were used (so they couldn't be pinned down to a particular year). However, in the shot of the storage facility registration sheet, viewers can see a reference to the year 2001. On the other hand, in the park scene, Aaron refers to a game between North Carolina and Michigan, which never took place in the 2001 March Madness tournament. This can be explained by the fact that Aaron was not really listening to March Madness at the time, which is explained more in depth below. There are nine timelines in total, generated by trips taken by the various characters. and many temporal paradoxes, such as the creation paradox.

Abe and Aaron confirm that they have accidentally created a time machine after they test the device on their watches. They immediately cut Robert and Phillip out of the group by claiming that the garage has to be fumigated. The device is unlike a traditionally envisioned time machine; it can only "travel" back to its turn-on time(which is scientifically the ONLY viable timemachine theoretically possible, see time travel), and the user must spend as much time in the machine as he wants to go back. They first use their machines to succeed in the stock market, but as they begin to explore how the machine can allow them to alter not only their personal lifestyles but how they are perceived by the people around them, ethical and philosophical dilemmas soon ensue regarding the applications and dangers of the machine. The film explores different individuals' reactions to the power of foreknowledge, the temptation of correcting the smallest detail of ones life and the ramifications of that abuse of power as it inevitably affects on a larger and unforeseen scale.

How the time machine works

Understanding the method of time travel that the box allows is an important part of understanding the plot of the film. The time travel box that Aaron and Abe create has several limitations. Travel is only possible into the past. The duration of time 'gained' in this way is determined by the amount of time the traveller spends sitting inside the box. Travellers emerge from the box into their own past, so they share this space-time with the earlier 'versions' of themselves who are still preparing to enter the box. Paradoxes can occur if the traveller interferes with his own preparations for entry into the box, and a timeline can be revised repeatedly if travellers from further down the future 'invade' a timeline at increasingly earlier points. Thus, time travellers can interfere with the time travel of others, including the time travel of their own previous iterations. The diagram below assumes the traveller spends six hours of waiting time inside the box. The diagram doesn't illustrate any of the timelines that the characters create in the plot of Primer. For a description of the plot and its multiple timelines, see 'Timeline order' below.

Timeline order

Different timelines represent the events as experienced from the point of view of Aaron, Abe, and their respective doubles.

The parenthetical numbers after the names of characters and boxes indicate the iteration of that character or object, that is how many times he "has" timetravelled. This is possible because the design of the boxes is modular; that is, they can be collapsed and taken back in time in another box. Note that although there are at least six unique Aarons and at least five unique Abes, there are only three permanent Aarons and two permanent Abes at the end of the film. The original Aaron and the original Abe remain in the suburbs. Abe (5) stays to prevent the originals from creating more boxes. Aaron (2) goes to France and Aaron (6) goes to some unknown location. The permanent doubles were created by the use of the failsafe machines.

Timeline 1

At 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning Abe (0) starts a 30-minute timer on the Failsafe box (0) and leaves the storage facility. At 9:00 a.m. the Failsafe box (0) starts.

At 8:45 a.m. on Monday morning Abe (0) starts a 15-minute timer on the first box (0) and drives to the hotel to wait for 6 hours. At 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon he drives back to the storage facility and enters the first box (0), creating timeline 2.

Timeline 2

Abe (1) exits from the first box (0) at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning. At 10:00 a.m. that same morning Abe (1) talks to Aaron (0) in the park, about the boxes actually working. At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon, Abe (1) shows Aaron(0) the Abe (0) entering the storage facility. Abe(0) subsequently enters the first box (0), causing himself to leave the timeline. That night, newly informed Aaron (0) builds the second box (0).

At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning Abe (1) and Aaron (0) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes placed in the same room, and drive to the hotel using Abe's car wanting to make money. At 9:00 a.m. both boxes (0) start. Abe (1) and Aaron (0) review the stocks they plan to buy on the way to the hotel. At 3:00 p.m. Abe (1) and Aaron (0) go back to the storage facility, enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively, creating timeline 3.

Timeline 3

Tuesday morning at 8:45 a.m. Abe (1) and Aaron (0) start a 15-minute timer on the first (0) and second (0) boxes and drive to the hotel in Abe's car. At 9:00 a.m. the boxes (0) start and Abe (2) and Aaron (1) exit from them. Abe (2) and Aaron (1) go to Aaron's house to trade the stocks they researched in timeline 2. At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon Abe (2) and Aaron (1) go back to the storage facility and watch Abe (1) and Aaron (0) enter the building and the boxes (0) travelling back in time.

Sometime on Wednesday Aaron (1) discovers that Abe has rented two rooms at the storage facility, discovering the failsafe box (0) and guessing its purpose (for Abe to have a reset button should something go wrong). This discovery is narrated by Aaron (2) in a flashback during a phone call.

Later that day Aaron (1) enters the failsafe box (0) taking with him in a compact powered down mode both boxes (0) creating timeline 4.

This is the canonical version. Some fans believe that Aaron does not enter the failsafe until after Rachel gets shot.

Timeline 4

Timeline 4, possibly second to timeline 9, is the most complicated timeline in the film, with most of the key events only revealed in flashbacks in the last 20 minutes of the film.

At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning failsafe (0) starts (the timer having been set by Abe (0)) from it exits Aaron (2) with the first (1) and second (1) boxes. Aaron (2) rents a new room and puts failsafe (0) in it (because he is inside the box). At 10:00 a.m. Aaron (2) puts the first box (1) in another room and starts a 1-hour timer, creating—in effect—a new failsafe box for Aaron (2). Aaron (2) also puts the second box (1) in the original failsafe room and sets a 2-hour timer (this box is a decoy, which Aaron (2) intends Abe to think is failsafe (0)). Aaron (2) sets this timer for 1 hour longer than his own so that—if the failsafes are used—he will awake 1 hour earlier and thus have the upper hand. At 11:00 a.m. the first box (1) starts. At noon the second (1) box (which Abe believes to be failsafe (0)) starts.

At 5:00 a.m. on Monday Aaron (2) goes to his house and injects sleep drugs into Aaron (0)'s breakfast. At 6:00 a.m. Aaron (0) is rendered unconscious by the breakfast and is hidden in the attic by Aaron (2). Aaron (2) pretends to be Aaron (0) that day, recording the conversations. The drugging is only observed in a flashback.

At 8:45 a.m. that same morning Abe (0) starts a 15-minute timer on the first (0) box and drives to the hotel in his car. At 9:00 a.m. Abe (1) exits from the first box (0). At 10:00 a.m. Abe (1) talks to Aaron (2) about the boxes in the park, and Aaron records the conversation pretending to be listening to basketball. This is only seen in a flashback. At 3:00 p.m. Abe (1) shows Aaron (2) Abe (0) entering the storage facility and subsequently the first box (0), exiting the timeline. Aaron (2) records this conversation. This is seen as a semi-flashback after the park scene. That night Aaron (2) builds the second box (0) just as in timeline 2.

At 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning Abe (1) and Aaron (2) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes and go to the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. the boxes start and Abe (1) and Aaron (2) decide which stocks to buy. At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon Abe (1) and Aaron (2) go back to the storage facility, enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively, creating timeline 5.

Timeline 5

On Tuesday morning at 8:45 a.m. Abe (1) and Aaron (2) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively and leave for the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. the first (0) and second (0) boxes start and Abe (2) and Aaron (3) exit and go to Aaron's house to trade stocks. At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon Abe (1) and Aaron (2) go back to the storage facility and enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively. Abe (2) and Aaron (3) watch them in binoculars. At 5:00 p.m. that afternoon Aaron's wife complains to Abe (2) and Aaron (3) about rats in the attic. The rats are actually a drugged Aaron (0). At 9:00 p.m. that night Aaron (3) goes to the party only to see Rachel's ex-boyfriend threaten her with a shotgun. Aaron (3) disarms him, but worries that he will threaten her in the future. All the while he was recording conversations at the party.

At 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning Abe (2) and Aaron (3) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes and leave for the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. both boxes start. At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon Abe (2) and Aaron (3) go back to the storage facility and enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively, creating timeline 6.

Timeline 6

At 8:45 a.m. Wednesday morning Abe (2) and Aaron (3) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes and leave for the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. the first (0) and second (0) boxes start and Abe (3) and Aaron (4) exit. Aaron (4) is seen with an earbleed because he has traveled much more than Abe. The two commence stock trading nevertheless. At 3:00 p.m. Abe (2) and Aaron (3) go back to the storage facility and enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively. At 5:00 p.m. that afternoon Abe (3) hears about Aaron's heroics at the party and is upset.

At 8:45 a.m. on Thursday morning Abe (3) and Aaron (4) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively and leave for the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. both boxes start. At 2:00 p.m. that afternoon Aaron (4)'s cell phone rings again and he answers but it is not immediately revealed who he talks to. At 3:00 p.m. Abe (3) and Aaron (4) go back to the storage facility and enter the first (0) and second (0) boxes respectively, creating timeline 7.

Timeline 7

At 8:45 a.m. on Thursday morning Abe (3) and Aaron (4) start 15-minute timers on the first (0) and second (0) machines respectively and leave for the hotel. At 9:00 a.m. the boxes activate and Abe (4) and Aaron (5) exit and watch Abe (3) and Aaron (4) leave the facility. Aaron (5) watches television and Abe (4) eats muffins as they casually trade stocks that day. At 2:00 p.m. Aaron (5) gets a phone call which he had received in the hotel in timeline 6. The way that Aaron and Abe explain that cell phones work in the movie means that his double at the hotel does not get the call in timeline 6. At 4:45 p.m. that afternoon Abe (3) starts a 15-minute timer on the first (0) and second (0) boxes, to experiment with paradoxes, and leaves the facility. At 5:00 p.m. the boxes start. At 10:00 p.m. that night Mr. Granger (0) finds and enters one of those boxes creating timeline 8.

Timeline 8

At 4:45 p.m. Thursday afternoon Abe (3) starts a fifteen-minute timer on the first (0) and second boxes and leaves the facility as in timeline 7. The boxes activate at 5:00 p.m. that afternoon in the same way as well. At 6:30 p.m. Mr. Granger (1) exits whichever box he entered in timeline 7 too early causing him to enter a coma later (another hint for the box's hazardness).

At 11:00 p.m. that night Abe (4) is awakened by noise from vandal teenagers. Abe (4) and Aaron (5) leave but discover Mr. Granger (1) and ascertain that he must have found and used the boxes. Abe (4) calls Mr. Granger (0) proving that a double has been created. Abe (4) and Aaron (5) chase down Mr. Granger (1) who collapses as a result of exiting the box too early. Abe (4) decides at that moment (while Mr. Granger is passed out in the other room) to use his failsafe box. He believes the box to be failsafe (0) but it is in fact the second box (1) which Aaron (2) replaced in timeline 4.

Abe (4)'s using of the second box (1) creates timeline 9. Aaron (5) realizes that Abe intends to use the failsafe and uses his failsafe—the first box (1) which he planted in timeline 4, also entering timeline 9.

Timeline 9

At 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning the first box (1) starts and Aaron (6) exits (the box had been started by Aaron (2) in timeline 4). At noon the second box (1) starts and Abe (5) exits oblivious to the fact that Aaron (6) has also returned.

At 4:30 a.m. Monday morning Abe (5) locks Abe (0) in a closet of Aaron's house with a look of grief on his face. Aaron (6) starts a fight with Aaron (2) (who has just finished locking Aaron (0) in the attic) but Aaron (6) is exhausted from the exceedingly long trip and loses to Aaron (2). However, Aaron (6) convinces Aaron (2) to leave because he has already recorded the conversations which Aaron (2) had intended to record that day. Aaron (2)—the narrator—calls Aaron (0) and informs him of what has just happened. At 10:00 a.m. that same morning Abe (5) goes to retry the park scene. However, Abe (5) meets Aaron (6) who sticks to the script he has recorded despite the slight changes in Abe (5)'s behavior. Abe (5) physically collapses.

Sometime on Tuesday Aaron (6) convinces Will to invite Rachel's ex-boyfriend to the party using the recorded conversation. Abe (5) and Aaron (6) go to the party, unloading the ex-boyfriend's shotgun on the way, and Aaron (6) executes the plan better this time sending the ex-boyfriend to jail. Aaron (2)—the narrator—is unsure if this actually worked the first time, leaving open the possibility that the party was replayed many times by the two of them.

Sometime on Wednesday Aaron (0) and Abe (0) awake; Abe (5) and Aaron (6) are at the airport. Aaron (6) leaves, but Abe (5) stays behind to sabotage Aaron (0) and Abe (0) attempts for building another box, and thus causing another temporal paradox.

The film ends with Aaron (2) supervising the construction of a building-sized box somewhere where people speak French.

Production

Primer was filmed with a budget of only USD $7,000. Much of this cost was spent on film stock. Primer was shot with a crew of five. Writer/director Shane Carruth utilizes his technical knowledge as a former engineer as the film's lead actor, cinematographer, producer, editor, and composer; his parents were the caterers. Carruth already had a degree in math but had to teach himself physics as he was writing the film. Filming was shot over five weeks in the Dallas area, with lab sequences shot at the University of Texas at Dallas. To compensate for the lack of expensive lighting equipment, the film makes maximum use of fluorescent lighting, non-neutral color temperatures, high-speed film stock, and filters. Carruth eschewed digital special effects, in favor of cheaper and more real life effects. For example, a juxtaposition of a mechanical grinder and a car engine were used to produce the unique sound of the machine's "hum".

The film was shot on Super 16 film and later blown up to 35mm.

Carruth says that the film was inspired by The Conversation, Norma Rae, and especially All the President's Men. These films all share with Primer the style of incremental revelations of a larger plot element.

Reception

Despite its minuscule budget, the look of the film impressed many critics, with Roger Ebert declaring: "The movie never looks cheap, because every shot looks as it must look." While most critics have embraced Primer as a rewarding conundrum in the tradition of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 12 Monkeys and Donnie Darko, others have criticized it as a willfully pretentious exercise in obfuscation. [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/primer/

The film has gained much greater attention since winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and it has become one of the few micro-budget films to reach a wider audience.

Cast

Shane Carruth … Aaron
David Sullivan … Abe
Casey Gooden … Robert
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 Thompson … Rachel Granger
Chip Carruth … Thomas Granger
Delaney Price … Laney
Jack Pyland … Aaron's Coworker
Keith Bradshaw … Clean Room Technician
Ashok Upadhyaya … Laboratory Technician
Brandon Blagg … Will
John Cook … Will's Cousin
David Joyner … Rachel's Date
Eric De Soualhat … Translator

Awards

Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2004.
Won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for films dealing with science and technology at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival
Best Writer/Director (Shane Carruth) at the Nantucket Film Festival in 2004.
Best Feature at the London International Festival of Science Fiction in 2005.

Nominations

Best Feature at the Gotham Awards in 2004.
Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2005.
Best Director (Shane Carruth) at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2005.
Best First Screenplay (Shane Carruth) at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2005.
Best Debut Performance (David Sullivan) at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2005.

Films inspired by Primer

i dreamt of empire

External links