Primer

After a few recommendations, I watched Primer last night and have to say that I enjoyed the suspense of the story but I am honestly a little confused. It is quite an interesting story that I knew very little about going into it and I am hesitant to write much about it lest I ruin the experience for anyone else.

It is a very low budget (approximately $7000) indie film that won a couple of awards at the Sundance Film Festival last year. It has a typical indie thriller feel in that it has a slow start but you can tell that it is building towards something. I was careful to pay attention to a lot of the details because I find that these kinds of movies require a lot of attention and focus. It is definitely not for someone who wants to watch it while doing something else that requires any attention.

What I can tell you about the story is that four young men who work in the high tech industry by day have a side business in a garage much like Bill Gates and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs did when they started. They work on inventions together hoping to create the next big thing that they can market to major companies and sell for lots of money. They are struggling to reach that goal but find themselves moderately successful with small sales of consumer computer equipment. Two of the men are content with their level of success while the other two want more and so delve into a project on their own. They begin with one intention but accidentally stumble onto a technology that is both exciting and terribly frightening. As they try to understand what they have discovered, they begin to learn a lot about themselves and each other that is quite disturbing.

I know that my description is vague but if I write any more, I will betray some of the secrets of the movie that I think are best to be experienced while you watch.

As I watched it, I felt that it was a lot like the movie Pi so if you are a fan of that, you'll probably like it; otherwise, it would probably be best to stay away. It is the type of movie that builds up a sometimes contrived story and then leaves the audience wondering after it is over. I like to think that I can understand complex ideas in film but admittedly, I was left with a few questions about some confusing plot points myself.

After finishing the film, I felt partially satisfied with my comprehension of it but also felt the need to get more insight. I consulted the internet and immediately came across the official movie site, www.primermovie.com. I should warn you that some plot points will be spoiled if you look at the website so do so only if you have already seen the movies or if you have no intention of doing so. The site actually offers a fair amount of information from the films creators but also has a very good discussion board to bounce around ideas about the film.

I think that before I return this one to Netflix, I'll be watching it a few more times and definitely listen to the commentary to get what I can from the writer/director/star of the film. In any event, if you appreciate good science fiction presented in a subtle and thought provoking way, you may really enjoy this film. Just don't expect to completely understand the film when it's over without doing a little independent thinking and perhaps reading some other opinions. But it is worth it to make the extra effort.