Primer (2004)

Director:

Shane Carruth

Writer:

Shane Carruth (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

If you always want what you can't have, what do you want when you can have anything?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Garage | Invention | Storage Unit | Blood | Experimental Film

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Shane Carruth	...	Aaron
David Sullivan	...	Abe
Casey Gooden	...	Robert
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	...	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
Eric De Soualhat	...	Translator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Lucero Less	...	Seth (uncredited)

Directed by
Shane Carruth

Writing credits
Shane Carruth		(writer)

Produced by
Shane Carruth	....	producer

Original Music by
Shane Carruth

Film Editing by
Shane Carruth

Casting by
Shane Carruth

Production Design by
Shane Carruth

Sound Department
Shane Carruth	....	sound designer
Reggie Evans	....	location sound
David Ho	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Daniel Bueche	....	camera operator
James Russell	....	assistant camera
Anand Upadhyaya	....	camera operator

Other crew
Chip Carruth	....	caterer
Kathy Carruth	....	caterer
David Sullivan	....	production assistant

Thanks
Scott Douglass	....	thanks

Distributors

• THINKFilm (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• E.D. Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Notro Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Video Audio Project (VAP) (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2005) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2006) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Advanced Health Concepts  thanks for use of oxygen tanks
• Henley's Aircraft Services Inc.  thanks for permission to film
• Hilton Hotels  thanks for permission to film
• Richardson Public Library  thanks for permission to film
• U-Haul Storage  thanks for permission to film
• University of Texas at Dallas Department of Biology  thanks for permission to film
• University of Texas at Dallas Department of Electrical Engineering  thanks for permission to film
• Ziziki's Restaurant  thanks for permission to film

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief language.

Runtime:

77 min | Turkey:73 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Addison, Texas, USA

Trivia:

Shane Carruth stated that at most an 80 minute could be made from the footage (the film was 78 minutes). He stated that the shooting ratio was 2:1.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the scientist leaves Abe and Aaron alone in the incubation chamber, a crew member's knee is seen at the bottom left of the window of the door.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Aaron: [Sound of a phone ringing. Aaron, voiceover:] Here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna read this, and you're gonna listen, and you're gonna stay on the line. And you're not gonna interrupt, and you're not gonna speak for any reason. Some of this you know. I'm gonna start at the top of the page.
[pause]
Aaron: Meticulous, yes. Methodical, educated; they were these things. Nothing extreme. Like anyone, they varied. There were days of mistakes and laziness and in-fighting, and there were days, good days, when by anyone's judgment they would have to be considered clever. No one would say that what they were doing was complicated. It wouldn't even be considered new, except for maybe in the geological sense. They took from their surroundings what was needed and made of it something more.

Movie Connections:

References The Matrix (1999)

From Tinkering with Tools to Tinkering with People

"Primer" starts out innocently like a "Start-up.com" docu-drama and the first part covers some of those same financial, friendship and entrepreneurial issues as computer geek engineers work out of of one of the partner's garage to perfect an invention.

But gradually, in this antiseptic atmosphere of white shirts, electrical experiments and tweaking mechanics, every human emotion, virtually as every seven deadly sin, except sloth, and beyond, starting with greed, takes them over.

Without any explanation to the audience, we gradually figure out that we're seeing a cleverer, low budget "Paycheck" or what "Ground Hog Day" played for laughs and an original "Outer Limits" episode did for irony (I didn't see "The Butterfly Effect" to see how it also dealt with time changes).

Rather this is an attempt to seriously examine the philosophical issues of chaos theory and how inventions can't be divorced from human frailties, both mental and physical.

Shane Carruth, as the lead actor/writer/director/producer is a true auteur--and could therefore give his nerd a wife and kid-- but perhaps an outside editor could have helped make the permutations a bit clearer as I didn't quite follow the intersections with outside characters. I followed enough to get caught up in the anxiety and suspense of each iteration.

It was amusing that I was the only woman in the audience.