Primer

I'm not sure that primer ever even uses the title in its name and I'm thinking that is a purposeful choice. I've seen this movie two or three times now and I really think that its called primer because you need a primer before you watch the movie. Its an interesting movie because its science fiction that plays with some characteristics of magical realism, particularly authorial resistance. The two main characters never really explain what they're trying to make. It seems like they're trying to make a refrigerator that turns into a time machine. Their explanation of time travel is vague and simple and the actual mechanics are ignored. The two friends don't tell eachother what they're doing and the audience doesn't know what is happening or which characters are aware of what events. There is a lot that never gets explained clearly (the girls father, what the protagonists do with the ex and his shotgun, what the domestic focused fight between the two protagonists at the ending is about, who is the double who is the original). I think its the point of the movie because scenes where things are briefly, vaguely explained there are always loud audio distractions. This builds a sense of wonder and confusion, comparable to what the characters are probably experiencing, but its also a bit infuriating since I still don't know whats happening and I'm the audience and I want stories because I want entertainment not confusion. If that confusion is the point of the movie and its like a meta-assault on my emotional state, that's interesting, but its not very satisfying.