In case you missed it … ‘Primer’

Primer (2004) was written and directed by Shane Carruth and was his feature film debut. Carruth also stars as one of four friends who are attempting to create their own tech-fortune, deigning error checking devices in their garage. Two of the friends stumble upon an incredible discovery while working extra time on a certain device that’s giving them problems. They decide this device is far too powerful to reveal to the public, but soon become immersed in its capabilities like a drug addict on heroine. They stow it away in a storage building and keep it’s existence secret, visiting it regularly, each of them taking shifts. As a result, the two friends become more and more paranoid about the other and whether they can be trusted. [Sorry, I’m not going to tell you what the device is … it would spoil the movie.] For a first time film, Primer is really good, on an intellectual level and well written. It’s not the most technically shot film, but this actually works in it’s favor. At a time when the sci-fi genre is suffering, the movie offers a fresh option for those seeking good philosophical sci-fi fare. The structure of the film is non-linear, somewhat like Memento due greatly to the subject of the story. The thing that surprises me most is that we haven’t really heard much from Carruth since this film. Hopefully it wasn’t a one hit wonder, but if so … it was well worth having.