Budget constraints and a lack of experience should not stop anyone from making an audacious or innovative film, no matter how hard Hollywood campaigns for the idea that a bigger budget is somewhat indicative of quality. No one knows this better than Shane Carruth, whose career may only consist of two films, but remains one of the most fascinating examples of a young artist armed with nothing other than a small budget, a group of willing friends and family members and an astounding idea based on his own personal knowledge of a subject that could not be further from cinematic material. His debut film, Primer, has become a cult classic, and a definitive piece of contemporary independent filmmaking that has shattered boundaries and developed into one of the most fascinating examples of low-budget brilliance. A science fiction film that has better ideas than even the most extravagant and expensive of Hollywood blockbusters, and a character drama that hearkens back to the intricate work set out by Carruth’s indie forefathers like John Cassavetes and Jim Jarmusch in their simple approach and prioritization of mostly human ideas, Primer is a wonderful piece of narrative storytelling that is quite unlike anything that had been made at that point, or having been made since. Simple but brilliantly effective, its a work of minimalistic artistry that never condescends the audience, rather captivating us with its atmospheric tone and potent intelligence that makes it a singularly enthralling experience.

Aaron (Carruth) is a young engineer who starts a business as a side-project with a group of his friends, selling error-detecting devices that mainly are consumed by low-profile hackers and amateur technicians. However, their entrepreneurial endeavours aren’t entirely fruitful, which results in the company being disbanded while each of them focuses on their own respective careers. The only one who continues to experiment and push the b0undaries of technology is Aaron’s best friend, Abe (David Sullivan), who somehow manages to stumble upon the most shocking revelation of all: through some tinkering and daring experimentation, he inadvertently discovers time-travel. He and Aaron, who is initially dubious but very soon is just as amazed as his friend at the discovery, start to develop a way to profit from this newly-found technological revelation. Their journies into the past and the future begin in a way that is innocent enough – they use it to learn about stock market movements in order to make wise investments, and there are obviously the expected discussions about lottery numbers and betting, as they understand the potential harnessing the power of time-travel can have when used properly. However, as with every work that looks at the concept of traversing space and time, there are complications, and when they start to realize that they may have created something with long-lasting and destructive ramifications, they need to find a way to undo the damage they have already done before it becomes uncontrollable.

Carruth is not an ordinary director – even though he only made two films, both of them are considered to be unique independent masterpieces in their own right. Purely looking at the surface of Primer, we can see how this is an admirable example of independent filmmaking in its finest form – prior to making this film, the director had no experience in the industry. An engineer by trade with degrees in mathematics, he was not someone who would naturally be expected to venture into the world of filmmaking. Yet, making use of his own scientific knowledge, and an admirable tenacity in terms of the story he wanted to tell, Carruth managed to make something quite extraordinary. Made with clearly a very low budget, and with the collaboration of his friends and family in all aspects of the filmmaking (one of the major credits at the end of the film says “all food provided by Chip and Kathy Carruth”, which is an adorable sentiment if there ever was one), Primer is Carruth’s attempt to add his voice to an endless stream of filmmakers, many of which had better resources and access to a lot more than Carruth did, yet still made films that pale in comparison to what was done here. You have to admire independent filmmakers because their tendency to go out on a limb and create something that is not likely to bring them much success immediately is the antithesis to the idea of becoming world-renowned through assimilating into the Hollywood machine. Carruth exemplifies true cinematic independence through his work, demonstrating fierce refusal towards anything traditional, and it shows in this puzzling but ultimately beautiful film.

The film industry is brimming with individuals from various walks of life and backgrounds all vying to make an impact on filmmaking. Shane Carruth’s background as an engineer works well in the context of the film because it allows him to draw upon his area of expertise to craft an intelligent, well-constructed thriller that is far smarter than the more pedestrian science fiction films that came before it. This is certainly not the easiest film to understand – Carruth’s decision to not simplify the dialogue could have been met with disdain, because for those who are well-versed in the sciences may be left behind with this film’s often dizzying barrage of scientific and technological references – some have certainly accused Primer of being needlessly difficult. I prefer to consider it a challenging film, one that requires the audience to not necessarily try and follow what is transpiring through understanding every detail – it would be surprising if there are more than a handful of viewers who actually understand every single reference contained in this film. The purpose of viewing this film is not to understand the science, but rather to engage with the underlying message. The two main characters are young men who stumble upon a massive scientific breakthrough purely by accident, and their joy is suddenly turned into despair as they realize the ramifications of what they’re doing. The science in this film is intricate and complex, but it ultimately adds to the unique nature of the film – a work like this becomes even more convincing when it appears to have some legitimate factual background – and Carruth, to his credit, does exceptionally well in making a film that is essentially just an hour of scientific jargon, but yet feels so deeply compelling in all regards.

Primer is a very different film from what we’ve seen before, and we can credit this to the fact that Carruth was an outsider to the industry, with his work within the sciences being a far cry from the background of typical auteurs. Yet, as we’ve already noted, his experience in this realm was not an impingement on the realization of his ambitions here, but rather a merit: not only was the science in Primer fascinating, it helped differentiate this film from all others of its ilk. It is a moody, atmospheric piece that was made with such limited constraints and simple means, it couldn’t be excessive or bombastic if it tried. Carruth was clearly not trying to make something that fit in with the rest of the genre – in fact, it was obvious his intention here was to make an outlier, a scientifically-sound film about time-travel that feels rooted in reality, despite being just as speculative and far-fetched as the most audacious of the genre. His interest was not in making something that stands alongside the more famous entries into the canon of great science fiction, but rather a film that evokes thoughts between venturing into the unknown from a familiar approach. Like Darren Aronofsky’s  Pi, another promising debut by a great speculative director, this film is grounded firmly within a familiar reality, one where everything seems to operate normally, at least for the most part. There’s something about crafting a film that presents us with a slightly distorted sense of reality that is even more profoundly disturbing than something almost entirely unrecognizable from our own world. Something about it just works exceptionally well, and life becomes even more poetic when presented through such uncanny means.

Primer is a terrific film, but one that requires a great deal from the viewer, who needs to understand that this is a film not meant to be understood. It is a gloriously strange subversion of science fiction tropes and cliches, and one that attempts to remove the more traditionally thrilling aspects of speculative fiction, and not only replace it with more logical and accurate factual background, but to make it just as thrilling. Carruth has successfully reinstated the “science” into “science fiction” with Primer, which flourishes into a powerful and often poignantly beautiful film that is not only about science but extends further into commenting on human nature, friendship and the pursuit of success. It is an audacious, brilliant work that never falters, and develops into a film that may appear to be quite impenetrable, but with the right amount of engagement from viewers who are willing to suspend disbelief and surrender themselves to Carruth’s apparently expertly-crafted vision, it becomes an absolutely rewarding experience that is melancholic and melodic in its approach to a panoply of themes that go further than a great deal of other films that attempt some form of profound intelligence could ever hope to achieve, and it absolutely deserves its status as one of the boldest debuts in the history of science fiction cinema.