Primer: An Overlooked Wonder

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Written by Alexander Most

Grade: A-

There have been many movies about time travel, from the latest Star Trek to Timecop, but all include fantastical elements; a watch that warps you and your perfect hairdo to the century, or a black hole that miraculously does not crush you beyond recognition. The core feature of Primer is the fact that there is no fantastical element, no attempt to wow the audience with theatrics. Primer presents a time travel film that focuses purely on the moral and mental ramifications of two men trying to perfect their present.

The first twenty minutes of the seventy-minute film do not even mention time travel; the two engineers fiddle with strange terms and the occasional perplexing voiceover presides over the scene. As a matter of fact, this is the only weak part of the film, as it is an exceptionally slow start to the story. But as the engineers discover an oddity in the contraption they have made, and accidentally discover that they can travel back to when they first turn on the machine. Though not as fancy as a time watch, the result is believability. There is no magic fix, only a slew of numbers and calculations made on screen.  And as a result, the film seems real.

Over halfway through the film, the two protagonists have only made their first time traveling trip together. However, it is in the last thirty minuets that the true genius of the film is revealed. The remainder of Primer is not a cohesive, linear film, but mere bits of what should be a chronological story. Though they are shown out of order and are often confusing, each clip teaches you something about the scheming of the engineers. You know that they wish to stop a shooter at a party and you know that the more they travel through time, the more copies of themselves begin to exist in one timeline, but the mystery remains: what is truly going on?

The majority of people will not enjoy this film. It is one to be seen, pondered, and seen again. I personally have seen Primer four times, and only after the fourth time did I look up the official timeline of the film (of which certain points are still debated).

Primer is a slow film with minimal action. But there is tension and mystery, mystery that never will be resolved. The dialogue isn’t dramatic or compelling, the shots aren’t brilliant and expertly made, and its greatest strength is the harsh realism that sacrifices theatrics for atmosphere. The film may be six years old, but its complexity continues to entrance its fans and, for those willing to take the chance, offers an opportunity for a good old-fashioned mystery.