Film Review: Synchronic

Synchronic is the latest from filmmaker duo, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the indie darlings behind Resolution, Spring, and The Endless. Taking place in New Orleans, it follows two paramedics Dennis (Jamie Dornan) and Steve (Anthony Mackie), both of whom are a bit jaded and detached as they go from call to call, encountering some rather strange circumstances, much of which is revealed to be rooted in the spread of a drug called “synchronic.” Steve is prone to drinking, one-night stands, and finds out he has a brain tumor that will take him in a matter of weeks, and Dennis is struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Brianna (Ally Ioannides), which is already adding to the stress of having a newborn in a marriage that is barely holding it together.

Things take a turn when they find themselves on a scene where they find some overdosed teens, and they are informed that Brianna was on the people there. The problem is that Brianna is no longer there, and doesn’t appear to be anywhere. The only thing she left behind is an empty synchronic wrapper. However, things take an even weirder turn when an unexpected visitor reveals the truth behind synchronic to Steve. Intended as a designer drug, a consequence of taking it results in the user to temporarily travel through time. Steve soon finds himself getting more and more obsessed with the effects of the pill, which in turn effects his friendship with Dennis.

As the film goes along, it becomes more Steve’s movie as we focus on his journey into the effects of synchronic, hoping he could use it to find Brianna, and bring her back. Time travel films are notorious for flimsy and often contrived conceits, and Synchronic might just take the cake. As much as they try to touch on the mechanics of how a pill can pull you back in time, and what is required to bring you back safely is puzzling.

While the central idea is easily their most strangest, the way the story unfolds is probably done in a manner that makes for their most accessible feature yet, which I’m sure might be due to having a modest but sizable budget compared to their earlier films. It isn’t hard to follow, even if some of the plot mechanisms don’t totally make sense, at least on first viewing. But it remains compelling nonetheless. Benson and Moorhead know not to get too lost in the details, and allow the story and characters to keep things engaging.

Mackie and Dornan are rock solid here. Both capture the kind of friendship we don’t usually see, one that’s long, but at a point where both parties are on auto-pilot with each other, things don’t move forward, and things that need to be said aren’t being said. It does however become a bit of a struggle to connect emotionally. I found myself having an easier time connecting with characters in their prior films, who are often going through similar situations, than I did here. I’m struggling to pin down exactly why that is, but it does take away a lot of impact. The most emotional I got during this was in a moment involving a dog (you’ll know when you see it).

The film is elegantly made. Moorhead’s cinematography captures the New Orleans nightscapes beautifully, adding to the sometimes otherworldly atmosphere. Jimmy LaValle’s droney, synthy score is appropriately oppressive and moody. And despite the overall heaviness of the tone, there are some surprising and remarkably timed comedic moments. One might have preferred the filmmakers to take more advantage of the time travel conceit more than they end up doing, but I mostly admire the restraint, which is also likely due to budgetary reasons.

There are a elements that don’t come together well, but most of that I could forgive because of how ambitious it is, but other elements gave me pause. The only significant female character is the one that goes missing halfway through, and other female characters such as Dennis’ wife Tara (Katie Aselton), aren’t fleshed out. I also think some of the racial optics is worthy of criticism since the film works in Steve’s blackness in ways that I found a bit awkward, especially given how it ends, which can see other finding it regressive, but that’s something I’ll leave to folks who would have a much more informed opinion about that than I do.

I wouldn’t consider Synchronic to be one of the better efforts of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, but I still found it fairly engaging and enjoyable. It still showcases a lot of the skill and creativity that made them such exciting filmmakers in the first place, and in many ways, it’s still far more bold than most films you’ll see coming out of the studios. The way they weave philosophy and science fiction and grounded characters is incredibly enticing, and the moments where they lean on those elements as they work in sync with each other are the strongest in the film. I certainly wished I loved it, but I do like it, and it makes for a solid entry point to these filmmakers if you haven’t gotten around to any of their work before.

Synchronic is now out in theaters.