Primer (77 mins)

Primer (2004) is an American science fiction film about the accidental discovery of time travel. The film was written, directed and produced by Shane Carruth, a former mathematician and engineer, and was completed on a budget of only $7,000.

The principal characters in the film are Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan), two engineers who create a device which will allow an object or person to travel backwards in time. The pair initially use the device to cheat on the stock market, but are ultimately unable to resist the temptation to meddle with every aspect of their lives. Through recklessness they create increasingly complex paradoxes, and ultimately their newfound power begins to destroy their friendship.

Primer is of note for its extremely low budget, experimental plot structure and complex technical dialogue, which Carruth chose not to dumb down for the sake of his audience. One reviewer said that "anybody who claims [to] fully understand what's going on in Primer after seeing it just once is either a savant or a liar." The film collected the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004 before securing a limited release in cinemas, and has since gained a cult following.