Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Carruth wrote, directed, produced, and performed one of the two main roles, and composed the music for his independent film Primer, which was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the Grand Jury Prize and the Alfred P. Sloan Award. As a former software engineer with an undergraduate degree in math, Carruth utilized his technical knowledge on the project.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1972 (54)
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA
- Actor, producer, composer, director, editor, writer and cinematographer
- 12 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
What are Shane Carruth's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2
Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4
Resolved 0 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Mentoras Aaron in Primer (2004)
- Shapeshifteras Aaron (later version) in Primer (2004)
- Tricksteras Aaron in Primer (2004)
- Heroas Jeff in Upstream Color (2013)
- Heroas Daniel Forrester in The Dead Center (2018)
Moods and endings
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Shane Carruth's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Shane Carruth's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Tales from the Loop(2020)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
The Dead Center(2018)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
A Ghost Story(2017)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Moonlight(2016)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Memory Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Swiss Army Man(2016)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Breakthrough(2015)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Silhouettes - Paula Machado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
We'll Find Something (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Everything & Everything & Everything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Devils in Disguise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Sun Don't Shine(2012)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Upstream Color(2013)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Looper(2012)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Primer(2004)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles from 2004 to 2020.
Film career
Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles.
By role
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Shane Carruth's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Shane Carruth's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Shane Carruth work with?
People who share at least 2 of Shane Carruth's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Lowery shares the most, 3.
Editors
- David LoweryShared titles: Breakthrough (2015), Upstream Color (2013), Sun Don't Shine (2012)See all 3 shared titles with David Lowery
Mixed roles
- Amy SeimetzShared titles: Upstream Color (2013), Sun Don't Shine (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Amy Seimetz
- Casey GoodenShared titles: Upstream Color (2013), Primer (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Casey Gooden
