Aaron (played by Shane Carruth) is a protagonist in Primer.
Co-engineer who discovers time travel with Abe. Impulsive and meddlesome, he profits from same-day stock trades using foreknowledge. He experiences physical side effects like earbleeds and deteriorating handwriting. Later, he builds a failsafe box, travels back to save Abe's girlfriend from a gunman, and plans to travel abroad for broader personal gain. He is seen directing workers to construct a large warehouse-sized box. Abe (played by David Sullivan) is a protagonist in Primer.
Co-engineer and cautious counterpart to Aaron. He refines the time travel proof-of-concept into a stable human-sized apparatus and tests it on himself. He suffers severe physical tolls, including 36-hour days and health degradation. Fearing the dangers, he builds a failsafe box to prevent the experiment's launch, but is overpowered by his future self. He ultimately plans to stay in town and sabotage the original time machine. Thomas Granger (played by Chip Carruth) appears in Primer.
Primer (2004) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Aaron
(played by Shane Carruth) — protagonist
Co-engineer who discovers time travel with Abe. Impulsive and meddlesome, he profits from same-day stock trades using foreknowledge. He experiences physical side effects like earbleeds and deteriorati...
Abe
(played by David Sullivan) — protagonist
Co-engineer and cautious counterpart to Aaron. He refines the time travel proof-of-concept into a stable human-sized apparatus and tests it on himself. He suffers severe physical tolls, including 36-h...
Thomas Granger
(played by Chip Carruth) — supporting
Key Relationships
Aaron → Aaron
(Alliance Knowledge Broker)
Thomas Granger → Abe
(Family Father-in-Law)
Aaron → Thomas Granger
(Conflict Pursuer)
Aaron → Abe
(Alliance Co-Founder)
Story Analysis
A complex narrative exploring the unintended consequences of accidental time travel on friendship, reality, and human physiology.
Plot Progression
The Garage Breakthrough
Temporal Profits and Physical Toll
Timeline Fracture and Intervention
Convergence and Divergence
Directed by Shane Carruth
Primer (2004) · 6.7/10 · drama, science-fiction, thriller
