Primer

Two would-be computer entrepreneurs (David Sullivan and Shane Carruth) invent a mysterious contraption; they’re not sure what it is, but it seems to be some sort of time machine. This low-budget brainteaser is quite an achievement for Carruth, who, in addition to starring in the film, wrote, directed, produced, composed the music and shared cinematographer credits—all on a budget of just more than $7,000. It’s also by turns hypnotic, confusing, fascinating, vexing and exasperating—hard to follow in its arcane musings yet seeming just barely out of reach. The script, tantalizing as it is, betrays Carruth’s background in mathematics; the characters seem more like names in a textbook word problem than people we know and care about. Still, it’s a genuine achievement—frustrating and opaque but hard to dismiss.