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IMDbPro

Primer

  • 2004
  • PG-13
  • 1h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
110K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,366
509
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.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.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
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    110K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,366
    509
    • Director
      • Shane Carruth
    • Writer
      • Shane Carruth
    • Stars
      • Shane Carruth
      • David Sullivan
      • Casey Gooden
    • 523User reviews
    • 141Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 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

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    7.8
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    7.1
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    Primer
    Primer

    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 reviews523

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Confusing
    Yesterday I watched "Project Almanac" which was also about time travel. The discussion board was full of threads about the temporal paradoxes created in the movie. One thread mentioned movies that did a good job with the time travel theory and "Primer" was mentioned, so here I am.

    I don't consider myself a dumb or inattentive person; I typically don't need plots spelled out for me and I understood the premise, however, somewhere mid-movie they lost me. Characters were mentioned whom I hadn't heard before and nor did I know their relationship to the main characters. Then it got to the point where I didn't know what time frame they were in or who I was looking at because every time the two main characters went back there would be a double of them. It all just got too confusing; to the point I actually watched it twice to see if I missed something. Even with watching it twice I couldn't quite figure it all out. There dialog was too ambiguous and the jump cuts from scene to scene left me behind.

    What's amazing is that the movie had a narrator--and it was needed--but he added very little to helping comprehend this movie. Time travel movies are naturally confusing because of the paradoxes and conundrums in them, the last thing I need is ambiguity on top of confusion.
    helpful•59
    12
    • view_and_review
    • Jan 22, 2016

    Top picks

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    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

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