Primer (2004)

Director: Shane Carruth
Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden
Runtime: 77 minutes

Synopsis: 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.

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 10/10
Editing: 9/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Written, directed, produced, edited, scored, and starring (!) Shane Carruth, "Primer", made with a budget of only $7,000 (!), is most probably the best movie ever made that deals with time travel.

I'm usually not a big fan of the use of time manipulation in film, as it's something that almost never ends without a few plotholes, paradoxes, and conveniently unanswered questions. "Primer", however, may be the very first and only film that absolutely nails the logic behind it. The mere complexity and care that went into writing it just shows how passionate Carruth was about making this movie. A movie that required a couple of viewings and an explanatory video to fully understand. It may be only 77 minutes long, but if you really want to understand it entirely, you're going to have to dedicate about 3 hours of your time to it.

The only thing that's keeping me from giving "Primer" a perfect score is the fact that it did feel a bit dry and lacking character. It's something I couldn't overlook on my first viewing, but an aspect I didn't really feel on my second, as I was focused on the mechanics and physics of all the time traveling.

Shane Carruth truly did something special with the first of only 2 movies he made up to this point. It's something that will require your undivided attention and quite a bit of research afterward, but the pay off is definitely worth it if you're into that kind of movies.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10