Primer (2004)

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

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 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

Storyline

At night and on weekends, four men in a suburban garage have built a cottage industry of error-checking devices. But, they know that there is something more. There is some idea, some mechanism, some accidental side effect that is standing between them and a pure leap of innovation. And so, through trial and error they are building the device that is missing most. However, two of these men find the device and immediately realize that it is too valuable to market. The limit of their trust in each other is strained when they are faced with the question, If you always want what you can't have, what do you want when you can have anything?

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Plot Keywords:

garage | invention | weeble | buying stock | storage unit | 

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Taglines:

What happens if it actually works?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Találmány

Filming Locations:

Addison, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$28,162 (USA) (8 October 2004)

Gross:

$424,760 (USA) (17 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ERBP

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One scene that did not make the final cut showed that Abe was diabetic. The shot, which showed him taking time out of a conversation because he needed to give himself an insulin injection, was intended to establish that the circumstances of Abe's life have taught him to be careful and methodical.

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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 footage was shot; the final film is 78 minutes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Aaron: [Sound of a phone ringing. Aaron, voiceover:] Here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna read this, and you're gonna listen, and you're gonna stay on the line. And you're not gonna interrupt, and you're not gonna speak for any reason. Some of this you know. I'm gonna start at the top of the page.
[pause]
Aaron: Meticulous, yes. Methodical, educated; they were these things. Nothing extreme. Like anyone, they varied. There were days of mistakes and laziness and in-fighting, and there were days,...

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to Scott Douglass for having the faith to invest in the final stages of marketing and post production

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Connections

Referenced in Brows Held High: Ken Park (2012)

User Reviews

Fun scifi romp done on a budget!

No spoilers. I just saw this and thought it was great. It beats Hollywood films because it portrays science in a believable way. The acting was also good and very believable. Shane Carruth did a fine job as writer, director, and actor. I give it an A+.

Film Quality: The lighting and focus weren't always perfect but neither are most big budget films. I loved that you could at least hear everything they were saying in this film unlike most big Hollywood flicks where they ruin it with orchestra music and background noise (I have no idea what Tom Cruise said at the end of Collateral and I doubt anyone else does either.) Primer does an excellent job with film quality, especially considering their small budget. I found this film very watchable.

Story and Plot Quality: The story and plot are also good, but it does get a little convoluted by the end so I was somewhat lost when I left the theater. I think I understood all but the last 15 minutes. Personally, I think the director purposely made the end hard to follow so people might go see it again. I think a simple 2 minute narrative would have filled in all the gaps. A few segues (transition scenes) also could have been a little clearer. I find that I'm still figuring things out many hours later. Perhaps it was bad editing, but more likely a directors trick to make you think and possibly see it again. I would have done a few things different with editing, which is my biggest gripe here.

Who should see it: It isn't really a movie for the family. Take an enlightened friend or perhaps a date if that person has an open mind. The first half of the movie is there just to give background and make you believe that they could build such a machine. Children and old people aren't going to like this one because it doesn't have a lot of whiz-bang type stuff in it (No eye candy for the mentally challenged or immature.) Special effects are scarce, but really aren't needed in this intellectual thriller.

Rating: I rated this movie 10/10, but I was considering it's genre also. A budget scifi with lots of intellectual intrigue. If your looking for childish, comical, Hollywood whiz-bang type crap then go rent "Back To The Future" instead. I think Primer will sort out the men from the boys here!