PRIMER ** (out of ****) a film review by Richard A. Zwelling
What the %#$@ did I just watch?!!
Some of you may be familiar with a newly emerging pseudo-genre of film. It's called the "mindf-ck" genre. These are the films that fold into themselves, contorting their narratives, breaking the normal logic of chronological storytelling, and leaving you with that weird feeling of, "I just saw the most profound movie ever."
Your friend asks, "What was it about?" And you take a deep breath and reply, "How the f-ck should I know?"
The newest entry to the mindf-ck bunch is Primer, the sci-fi drama that was a surprise smash at the Sundance Film Festival (the film took top honors). The film was directed by Shane Carruth, who was an engineer prior to crafting this, his debut film. He also stars in one of the two main roles, and he acts as screenwriter, cinematographer, and even composer. Following in the path of Robert Rodriguez and his El Mariachi, Carruth's efforts ostensibly carry a final total of just $7,000, which is ludicrously low, even by low-budget standards.
The story involves Aaron and Abe, two techies who spend the entire film dressed in cookie-cutter white shirts, black slacks, and unassuming ties. They are working on the mother of all science projects, for which they utilize a catalytic converter (for platinum), a refrigerator (for the freon), 12-volt batteries, and other knick-knacks which turn their garage into a hotbed of wires, nuts, and bolts.
They're not exactly sure what their creation will do, assuming it actually works, but when data emerge that seem impossible according to the "normal" fabric of things, the creation leads them on a trail of paradoxes, chronological zigzags, and (supposedly) deep metaphysical musings.
I was excited going into this. It has been described by various publications as "Mullholland Drive for math geeks", "Memento for mad geniuses", and "the headiest sci-fi movie since Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey".
Here's my impression of the inner monologues of these critics, as well as those at Sundance:
"Oooh, look at all the cool gadgetry these guys are fooling around with in their garage. This is cool low-budget sci-fi stuff...wires everywhere and computer screens going blinky-blinky. And the guys are in heated discussion, too. They're talking techie language. I can't understand a word of it, but it just sounds SOOO cool!! I don't know anything about this stuff, but it must be true, because these guys sound so intelligent, so urgent, so passionate."
Mullholland Drive? Memento? 2001? I don't think so. As an engineer-turned-filmmaker, Carruth doesn't deserve to be even mentioned in the same breath as David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, or Kubrick. A more apt allusion is one made by film critic James Berardinelli: The Emperor's New Clothes.
I have no doctorate to my credit at present, but as a layperson, I have dabbled in several of the disciplines this film touches upon. The main ones are quantum physics, metaphysical philosophy, and the space-time continuum. Even as a layperson, I can say with confidence that most of the astronomical amount of technical mumbo-jumbo offered by Primer is just there to entrance you whilst duping your intellect.
True, the other aforementioned mindf-ck films were confusing, but there is a key asset they share which Primer does not. They were films, first and foremost, and as such, they appealed to your gut, not your head. Mullholland Drive, 2001, and Primer may have all been headily constructed, but the final result of the first two is something that defies logic, completely free of rational appeal. Memento required more brainpower to sort out, most likely after multiple viewings, but as a film, it never lost sight of the fact that its mission was to tweak you viscerally first and cerebrally second.
I'm sure there is a convoluted, contorted puzzle at the heart of Primer just waiting to be plumbed. If the film can't engage me, however, it ain't worth the time. I could be wrong, but in inserting a massive amount of gobbledygook into his dialogue, I believe Carruth was trying to create a kind of poetry. Unfortunately, it only works if the techno-babble is valid, which it isn't. And by the time I figured that out, I was too bored to care.
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