Page - 25 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

allowing the object to be removed either in the present or at some point in the past (fig. 1). Building upon the discovered premise, Abe eventually creates “the box” – this is a larger unit capable of containing a human being and allowing them to go back in time if they enter and exit the box at the correct points in the parabolic traversal (fig. 2). Abe describes this process to a bewildered Aaron: ABE: Look, everything we’re putting into that box becomes ungrounded, and I don’t mean grounded like to the earth, I mean, not tethered. I mean, we’re blocking whatever keeps it moving forward and so they flip-flop. Inside the box it’s like a street, both ends are cul-de-sacs. I mean, this isn’t frame drag- ging or wormhole magic, this is basic mechanics and heat 101. AARON: This is not mechanics and heat.30 As Abe and Aaron repeatedly travel back in time to take advantage of the stock market – being careful not to disturb their double selves within the overlapping timelines – a crisis occurs when an acquaintance, Thomas Granger (Chip Carruth), appears to have also traveled through the box, but for a much greater length of time, leaving him disheveled and ultimately comatose. Since neither Abe nor Aar- on can imagine a logical scenario where they would share their secret knowledge 30 Primer (US 2004), 00:25:41–00:26:00. Fig. 1: Discovering time travel. Film still, Primer (Shane Carruth, US 2004), © ERBP Film, 00:12:07. 24 | Joel Mayward www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 17–36