One for me: Primer

Just a quick one:

I have been told to see Primer. That it is a mindbender on a par with the first time I saw The Matrix.

Looking forward to it....

Update coming after the weekend.

Update:

So it's been a while. Since I've written this, I've had some idiot break in to my work car and steal two laptops and a projector. Getting through all of the insurance and paperwork has been an ordeal. Add to that a couple of regional trips and I've let this month go by without an update.

So on to Primer.

This could only have been done as an independent film. This feels like the first film to be unashamedly intellectually challenging. If you're not smart enough to understand what's going on, that's ok because this film is not for you. Studios seem to have no problem producing films that some viewers will not understand on an emotional level - guys just don't seem to get Fried Green Tomatoes or Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - and I'm guilty here. So why is it that we never seem to see films that can challenge us on an intellectual level? And I'm not just talking about weird. There are plenty of films that are weird - unnecessarily so. So, more of these please.

This film is outstanding. Nothing short of brilliant. And not just because of it's challenging content. It has a homey feel to it, almost hand crafted. Does that sound stupid? I was reminded of Hitchcock, that what a director doesn't show is as important as what he does show. Once we move past the creation of the device itself, the film moves along at its own pace.

If I had one criticism it is the ending. I know this was a debut film, shot on a shoestring and the director has ambition to shoot more films. But please - the unfinished ending hoping for a sequel? Smacks of desperation at worst, laziness at best.

So on to the age. I ran into a bright 13 year old today and he was quite the young person to view this film. Be prepared for multiple viewings and quite a great deal of discussion around this film. For a nerd father and son, I could not think of a better way to pass a weekend.