Author: Robert Skuch Published
Time travel logic in movies is often oversimplified so that viewers can follow the internal rules of the story and piece everything together with relative ease. 2004 PrimerWritten, directed, produced, edited, and scored by Sean Carruth, Minecraft is not one of those movies, and I’m sure its sole purpose is to confuse viewers. I mean that as a compliment. I also ask this question because I don’t know how to explain Primer To you, the internal logic is largely because I’m simply not that smart.
I consider myself a relatively conventionally intelligent person in that I can navigate adult life, make informed decisions, and reliably express the thoughts in my head as a way of communicating with the outside world. but if you want me to talk Primer Like the subject matter expert that I am, I don’t know what else to say other than “sorry.” You’re watching the Peter Principle play out in real time here, just like the timeline I’m trying to explain in Primer Immediately pushing me to the highest level of incompetence.
All I can do is focus on the moral dilemmas it raises PrimerAnd how a film with a reported budget of just $7,000 has somehow provided one of the most compelling examinations of time travel and its consequences. I say “somehow” because I’ve already admitted that there’s no reasonable way for me to fully evaluate the logic without starting to drool.
The box and its consequences
Primer The story is about cause and effect, told through the eyes of Aaron (played by Sean Carruth) and Abe (played by David Sullivan), two engineers who work on various technology projects on the side outside of their day jobs. After accidentally discovering that they could manipulate small objects through time travel, Abe pushed his research further and developed a human-sized time travel device that he called “The Box.” Initially skeptical but increasingly interested, Aaron watches a demonstration in which Abe travels six hours into his own past and proves that once those six hours have passed, an earlier version of himself will enter the box.
In the beginning, Abel and Aaron did exactly what you would expect anyone to do with this kind of power. Thanks to their newfound precognitive advantage, they day trade the stock market and earn cash. Of course, they repeat this process multiple times without realizing the damage it does to their bodies. according to Primer Due to house rules, Aaron and Abe actually had 36 hours each day, which resulted in severe exhaustion and increased cognitive stress.
They also can’t explain what happens to the timeline once multiple versions of themselves start running simultaneously. The result is a proliferation of unintended consequences, especially when these repeaters no longer adhere to plans and make decisions that spread outward in ways beyond their control.
Before long, we’re faced with multiple iterations of Aaron and Abe, both of whom are experiencing the kind of cognitive decline you’d expect given you’re juggling multiple timelines while desperately trying to repair events that have been irrevocably changed.
The box is best left closed
I tried to map out all the alternate realities depicted in the picture Primer Well-intentioned, but I gave up about 45 minutes into the film. The whole thing started to resemble a wiring exercise my four-year-old might have done while battling a double ear infection. While the logic in the universe is consistent on the surface, one of the most disorienting aspects Primer is that it lacks traditional transitions or visual signposts.
You could chalk it up to budget constraints, but I’m sure it was a well-thought-out creative decision, whether Primer There is studio support. The confusion feels intentional, as anyone who’s been through what Aaron and Abe are going through would be lost trying to process it in real time.
Even more fascinating is how cold and calculating both men become as the film progresses. Ethics fell by the wayside, largely because none of them had been forced to consider moral responsibilities on this scale before. Just keeping track of a timeline becomes a very time-consuming task, and once cognitive abilities decline, it becomes difficult to reflect on the moral implications of one’s actions.
This is a brain teaser
If you are looking for a more modern and easier to use companion product PrimerI recommend the 2023 Aporia. While both films work on their own terms, the shared causal framework makes them worth watching side by side. watch Primer If you want your brain twisted into a pretzel, here’s what’s next Aporia sees similar ideas explored in a way that’s easier to follow without sacrificing emotional weight.
Both films are excellent in their own right, but Primer Asking the audience to put in more effort. The refusal to hold your hand, or let anything be silly, is exactly why it’s still considered one of the most uncompromising time travel movies ever made.
Primer Available for on-demand rental via YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
