Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSundance Film FestivalBest Of 2023STARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Primer

  • 2004
  • G
  • 1h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
113K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,159
347
Primer (2004)
Prime Scene: Scene 1
Play clip0:37
Watch Prime Scene: Scene 1
3 Videos
24 Photos
DramaSci-FiThriller

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. C bFour 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. C bFour 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. C b

  • Director
    • Shane Carruth
  • Writer
    • Shane Carruth
  • Stars
    • Shane Carruth
    • David Sullivan
    • Casey Gooden
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    113K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,159
    347
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • Stars
      • Shane Carruth
      • David Sullivan
      • Casey Gooden
    • 534User reviews
    • 141Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos3

    Primer
    Trailer 1:42
    Watch Primer
    Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Clip 0:37
    Watch Prime Scene: Scene 1
    Prime Scene: Scene 2
    Clip 1:59
    Watch Prime Scene: Scene 2

    Photos24

    David Sullivan and Shane Carruth in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan and Shane Carruth in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan and Shane Carruth in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan and Shane Carruth in Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan and Shane Carruth in Primer (2004)
    Primer (2004)
    Anand Upadhyaya, David Sullivan, Shane Carruth, Casey Gooden, and Daniel Bueche at an event for Primer (2004)
    Shane Carruth at an event for Primer (2004)
    Shane Carruth at an event for Primer (2004)
    David Sullivan at an event for Primer (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Shane Carruth
    Shane Carruth
    • Aaron
    David Sullivan
    David Sullivan
    • Abe
    Casey Gooden
    Casey Gooden
    • Robert
    Anand Upadhyaya
    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
    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
    Brandon Blagg
    • Will
    Jon Cook
    • Will's Cousin
    David Joyner
    • Rachel's Date
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Upstream Color
    6.5
    Upstream Color
    Coherence
    7.2
    Coherence
    Timecrimes
    7.1
    Timecrimes
    Moon
    7.8
    Moon
    Triangle
    6.9
    Triangle
    Primer
    8.0
    Primer
    Predestination
    7.4
    Predestination
    Time Lapse
    6.5
    Time Lapse
    Looper
    7.4
    Looper
    The Endless
    6.5
    The Endless
    Mr. Nobody
    7.7
    Mr. Nobody
    Twelve Monkeys
    8.0
    Twelve Monkeys

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The budget for the entire film was around $7000. Most of the money was spent on film stock.
    • 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 usable footage was shot; the final film is 78 minutes.
    • Quotes

      Aaron: Man, are you hungry? I haven't eaten since later this afternoon.

    • Crazy credits
      Thanks to Scott Douglass for having the faith to invest in the final stages of marketing and post production
    • Connections
      Featured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005)

    User reviews534

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A film for the days when science fiction was about wrestling with ideas . . .
    A group of young scientists work at a frantic pace to invent they are not quite sure what, but their efforts start demonstrating interesting side effects. From their work in a small cottage industry of error checking devices they are forced to confront the fact that they have discovered something too valuable to market. As they explore the potential of their machine, they are caught in a frantic loop to second guess themselves.

    Science fiction in the cinema has largely been dominated by the visual impact, and so this is a welcome (for some) return to the world of ideas. This is not an easy-rise entertainment film but one where you have to concentrate to keep up, working out the logical implications of what's happening. If made on the scale of Men in Black or the Matrix it would descend to the level of spoof – as it is we follow the two main characters knowing that their actions are having momentous effects on the world around them and on themselves. Instead of flashy graphics, we are left to keep the ramifications of the story in mind as the characters themselves grapple with what they know is happening but can't even let themselves look at directly.
    helpful•207
    87
    • Chris_Docker
    • Aug 24, 2004

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ12

    • A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
    • What is the conventional understanding of what occurs in the film?
    • Where did the title come from?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 25, 2005 (Turkey)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Máy Thời Gian
    • Filming locations
      • Henley's Aircraft Services - 15841 Addison Road, Addison, Texas, USA
    • Production company
      • ERBP
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $424,760
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $28,162
      • Oct 10, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $545,436
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Primer (2004)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Primer (2004) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Production art
    List
    January Picks: All the Best Movies and Shows
    See our picks
    Production art
    Photos
    The Greatest Character Actors of All Time
    See the gallery
    Production art
    List
    James' 5 Picks for January
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, Inc.