Our take
This little gem of a sci-fi is based on actual physics theory and doesn’t make you cringe every time some technobabble word comes out. Watching it the first time around leaves most viewers puzzled at the end, but wanting to see it again. Shot at a budget of ~$7000, don’t expect any flashy special effects or CGI. Do be prepared, however, for some mind boggling paradoxical ideas that require some effort to wrap your brain around.
What it won
Sundance
2 wins
The story
A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.
Elsewhere
"Despite its shortcomings, Primer remains watchable thanks to Carruth's dense and intriguing filmmaking."
— Dennis Harvey
The details
Who picked it
The Staff is the editorial team at A Good Movie to Watch, contributing reviews, recommendations, and streaming guides across film and television. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, we track over 100 streaming services in the US. Founded in 2014 by Bilal Zouheir, the team is built around human curation rather than algorithmic recommendations.
