PRIMER
** (out of ****)
a film review by
Richard A. Zwelling
What the %#$@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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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X-RAMR-ID: 39000
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1338648
X-RT-TitleID: 1137313
X-RT-AuthorID: 7583
X-RT-RatingText: 2/4
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