Primer

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Primer

PG-13

2004

1h 18m

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

130 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Intellectual engineers Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends Robert (Casey Gooden) and Phillip (Anand Upadhyaya). But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obsess over their creation, they discover the dark consequences of their actions.

Critics Consensus

Dense, obtuse, but stimulating, Primer is a film for viewers ready for a cerebral challenge.

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Scott Tobias

AV Club

Jun 16, 2017

Primer gains its seductive power by leaving the solution tantalizingly out of reach.

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Jun 16, 2017

2/5

Primer is off-putting: in trying to be elusive it's simply obstructive.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Jun 16, 2017

An exhilarating, disturbing and funny experience.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 9, 2020

5/10

The storytelling is so confusing and the multiple timelines are so numerous that sorting out what exactly unfolds saps all the entertainment value.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Nov 14, 2019

Certainly there are many flaws with this project, most from a technical standpoint and obviously due to the budget, but despite those shortcomings, Primer still stands out as the most intellectually stimulating film of the year.

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Paul Dale

The List

Apr 26, 2019

4/5

Carruth's downbeat and unique debut feature is something of an anomaly in the low budget U.S. indie filmmaking scene: Played out like a deadpan, almost naturalistic political thriller...

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Jay D

@vtology 6 days ago

Liked it !! Fun and thought-provoking. Great low-budget, high fun movie, in my opinion.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 15, 2026

Primer is a *4* star Movie!

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Hristo D

@RT85083038 Oct 2, 2026

I would say that, fundamentally, this is my type of movie. I like the themes of time travel and physics; however the movie is quite short for the viewer to develop a deeper understanding of what is happening. I like movies that leave the viewer not knowing what happens or which timeline is being shown, but revealing everything at the end. This is one of the movies that I find quite sophisticated and will have to watch a "Primer Movie Explained" youtube video. Overall, a decent movie.

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Cinema S

@cinema_sensei Aug 7, 2026

Made on a tiny budget, yet somehow more intellectually ambitious than films with a hundred times the money. The concept is brilliant, the writing is fearless, and the low-budget production actually adds to its raw, authentic feel. It doesn’t hold your hand or explain everything, which can be frustrating at first, but that’s what makes it so rewarding. You’ll probably need more than one watch to truly appreciate what Shane Carruth created.

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Abe L

@Sensei-D Jun 2, 2026

This movie is boring as f@ck. They spend half of it showing the characters building the machine filling the dialogue with technobabble that sounds like someone thought they were smarter than the audience and needed to explain in minute detail how it all worked at a scientific level. The rest of the dialogue is filled with mundane drivel to try and make them seem like they’re regular people. Meanwhile, the actual plot is so convoluted, it will go over the heads of most viewers. Plot points that seem like they might be important, get brushed over and they move on to something else.

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Tommy T.

@toemeister0 Mar 16, 2026

Such a deep and captivating movie. Time travel done very realistically and really captures the time period. Brilliant movie all around.

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Shane Carruth

Director

Shane Carruth

Aaron

David Sullivan

Abe

Casey Gooden

Robert

Anand Upadhyaya

Phillip

Carrie Crawford

Kara

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Synopsis

Intellectual engineers Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends Robert (Casey Gooden) and Phillip (Anand Upadhyaya). But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obsess over their creation, they discover the dark consequences of their actions.

Director: Shane Carruth
Producer: Shane Carruth
Screenwriter: Shane Carruth
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Production Co: ERBP
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Language)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $424.8K
Runtime: 1h 18m

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