Primer (2004)

'Drama' is undoubtedly my favourite genre of film, and I tend to appreciate it even more when combined with other genres successfully - Sci-Fi seems to be the trickiest, and the last time this combination worked flawlessly for me was in 'Moon' (2009). So, after feeling lucky and thankful for winning "review of the week" for... my blunt review of 'Moon' on the Film Club website, I additionally received a DVD of 'Primer' as a reward. Now, this film seemed really interesting - an independent, low-budget US Sci-Fi Drama with people I have never heard of before, along with a really intriguing plot centred around some sort of invention... and so I went into this film with a completely open and somewhat excited state of mind. Unfortunately, ‘Primer’ was a massive disappointment in almost all aspects. As you all (probably) know, I am a fan of the art house genre, I’m also a fan of “different” or “experimental” films - I appreciate brave and passion-filled projects bringing something new to the industry. However, ‘Primer’, despite clearly attempting to bring something new to the table, falls completely flat in its jumbled narrative structure and pretty much everything it brings to the screen. The interaction between the two main characters becomes almost chaotic - constantly rambling about “science” and essentially forcing the plot down our throats through… even more rambling. This becomes a recurring issue not only due to the inexperienced acting but predominantly due to the poor writing - every piece of dialogue feels either unnatural or just simply melodramatic. Besides the bland, robotic characters and jumbled plotline, this film does seem to evoke a certain charm. Being a debut for almost everyone involved, using minimal local settings and lengthy, forced dialogue… it strangely reminds me of myself and my passion for films and film-making. It’s actually quite adorable, watching two guys in shirts and ties wandering around and discussing their invention or intentions. To conclude, the film fails at its attempt of providing an engaging story, but, I appreciate the whole process behind it.