This is one of the best low budget movies I've ever seen that is totally devoid of any special effects or over the top budgets but instead relies heavily on character and story line. It's all the better for it. This is also a movie that will reward repeat viewing because the storyline is one long Mobius Strip as it focuses on time travel, doppelgangers, and character, then by the end of the movie everything starts to fold in on itself. Not in a gimmicky sort of way either but in a way that relates the characters and storyline. It's a smart film that doesn't for one second treat the viewer as stupid and wholeheartedly encourages the viewer to pay attention to what is going on. This movie is in the same vain as the other low budget movie about time travel Safety not Guaranteed, only Primer is much more focused on the science and technology of time travel but not so focused that the characters become lost in the story.
There's a lot of talking in this movie and the movie cleverly builds upon itself with the layered dialogue as the two main characters explain what they've discovered. I'll admit I didn't fully understand everything they were talking about but I understood enough that I was intrigued with the science behind what they had discovered. And as their discovery builds upon itself - much like the dialogue does - I became more and more intrigued into what was happening. I also like how the characters in the movie use time travel to become rich and help to further their lives financially, which really helps to make them relate able, as they act like normal people would if they could time travel.
This movie is a great example for low budget film making and if every other film maker out there - making low budget films - would actually focus on character and storyline, I think the low budget movies could over take the big budget movies easily. The main reason is that they would be financially viable to make when their budget is weighed against the profits they bring in. But sadly low budget film making seems more focused on preaching instead of a story line, pretentiousness over a theme, cliches over character, political statements instead of story line, imagery and interpretation instead of standard plotting, gimmicky editing and camera movies instead of actually directing. Everything Shane Carruth has done here is truly amazing and this movie needs to be seen not just for him breaking expectations of low budget film making but for making a good movie, which is something low budget films seems more destined to do.
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