Primer (2004)

Watching this film is a bit like squeezing your brain through a cheese grater: by the end you're divided across several individual opinions, and most of them aren't quite sure what just happened. There's a tearing point near the halfway mark where the possibilities ramp up so dramatically, like tossing an extra zero on the end of an exponential number, that most people will lose track entirely. I did. This workman-like tale of garage physicists cooking up a plan to break physics entirely, and the ramifications thereof, becomes too heady to follow. But there's a certain freedom here—being outsmarted by a movie—that can be fun and interesting. When you consider the possibilities, and you will, there's a sense of awe. That the film is nearly impossible to follow works to its advantage. As far as indie films go there aren't many that at least feel smarter, but then there are many others that make better sense.

6 out of 10.