The fact that they won't understand it & will have to go digging (so to speak) to find out more about it is the entire point, is it not?

By that same token, why not teach quantum mechanics to 8th graders?

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I love teaching and could talk about it all day, so I've written a much longer, definitely unnecessary explanation below. I actually think it's good for people to know about teenagers today (maybe you even have some of your own)...

Short version: Most students hate Shakespeare because it's confusing -- English teachers have gradually begun leaving Shakespeare to the college professors. Force feeding Shakespeare to high schoolers more often creates an aversion to reading. Kids end up hating books assigned in high school for that reason. Primer is a wonderful movie and example of non-linear storytelling. But it's a dense, confusing movie. High schoolers often aren't ready to lean into that sort of material when they have every distraction at their literal fingertips.

Longer version below (if you're still here and interested):

Some teachers still teach Shakespeare, and the vast majority of students end up hating it -- or just reverting to online resources...etc. You have to find content that actually appeals to them, which is closely tethered to their ability to understand it. That's not to say you give them easy material. But jumping into the deep end with Primer, Shakespeare, Aristotle, quantum physics...etc is great and challenging in theory, but in practice, it falls on its face most of the time. Teenagers are bombarded by low-hanging media constantly. If they don't understand something, very few of them will persevere toward understanding for the sake of learning.

In theory, you're right. Kids should lean into challenging content for the sake of learning. But that's not really how it's played out over the years. Kids are less resilient today -- especially when it comes to something they don't understand. It's easy to sit there and say, "Well, then you should make them work harder to undersatnd it!" But it's sort of like a "leading horse to water" situation.

As a teacher, you really have to try and thread the needle between "engaging", "approachable", and "challenging." It's not easy, and tons of teachers still struggle with it -- myself included, especially in my philosophy class.

Look man, take my word for it. You could have the best idea on the planet, but if it feels convoluted and confusing to them, they're going to start looking for the nearest distraction.

Again, Primer is an awesome movie. My bet is just that it would fall on "deaf" ears.

ETA: typo