Prime time struggles (Primer)

When Primer is broken down to its very core, the story is centered around a moral struggle. Aaron and Abe have become gods. They are capable of amassing an infinite wealth, contorting actions and discussions, and whatever else they enable themselves to do through time travel. It doesn't take long for the characters to realize that maybe everything they ever wanted is not so great after all. A moral dilemma is not uncommon in films. A moral dilemma of this caliber and relevance however, is very interesting. When the first atom bomb was built, the nuclear physicists behind it were excited to research the splitting of an atom but less excited about building a bomb. They did, however, build the bomb. All of them knew there was a potential that it would be used but none of them wanted it to come to that. Of course, when it did come to that, people such as Oppenheimer did not handle it too well. This realization came too late of course and the world was set for a nuclear arms race.

Something similar can be observed in Primer. The main characters, Aaron and Abe, seem carefree at first when they realize they have discovered time travel. They only see the positives and are quick to abuse the positives. It seems that only Abe is interested in precautions. The precautions don't matter and as most of the films close up shots show, the characters are constantly processing the actions of the future, past, and present simultaneously. Perhaps the early warning signs throughout the film could have stopped some of the negative aspects of time travel from arriving.

I'm not sure if the director, Shane Carruth is sending a message about technology itself. The film does seem to point in that direction however, and as we clearly see, often the technology moves past its creators and forces them into a mad chase over control. The message is fortified by the fact that the film is set in a timeless space. We don't know when the events take place on the timeline of the world. That doesn't seem to be the point. The point seems to be to watch out and take care to close all paths behind oneself when cornering a technological advance capable of literally bending time into one. Primer doesn't ignore this issue and clearly lays out the positives and negatives, the weight of which seems to be up to the viewer.