Synchronic
SignatureThe directing team consisting of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson certainly make for an alluring duo. Their work thus far looks to combine our reality with that of a vicious, violent nature. Fear is present in branches and leaves, those that lurk in the dark. Synchronic is a film that muses on a drug outbreak in a suburban community. It’s like Bright, but executed with a style and flair that wasn’t touched upon in that piece. The only way is up, and in that regard, Synchronic has steadfast intentions, a story of a new designer drug with otherworldly effects.
Throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, Synchronic cannot make up its mind with regards to which lead it would like to pursue. A medical ailment for one, generic family trauma for the other. The pairing of Dennis Dannelly (Jamie Dornan) and Steve Denube (Anthony Mackie) wouldn’t work so well if they couldn't survive on their own. They deal with their own narratives and stay separate for much of the film. This is very much a Mackie-led film, with Dornan lingering around the sides, providing him a goal to achieve. Inevitably, the two cross over; the overlapping narrative is a tad flimsy, but they’re both fleshed out well with good performances from Mackie and Dornan as two New Orleans paramedics. Synchronic is certainly susceptible to the genre-bending ingenuities found in the darker realms of science fiction.
What surprises me most, though, is Moorhead and Benson’s attention to detail. The soft musical cues, the lingering camera, it all comes together with a strangely ominous energy. They build tension well with violin strings contorting around its achingly good soundtrack. Fantasy elements mixed with the harsher suburbs of America isn’t a new idea, but it’s one we’ve yet to see directed with such conviction. Synchronic offers that up well, with Mackie and Dornan carrying the film as best they can. Showcasing good chemistry with one another, the two put together a good working relationship, a convincing friendship and professionalism brought to a dangerously uncomfortable mystery.
Synchronic has all the makings of a future cult classic. It plays with some unique ideas and stylish choices, but doesn’t take them fair enough. Competent chemistry from our two leading characters and some solid direction make for a thoroughly interesting science-fiction thriller. Clunky, but good fun, and not without a few moments of tension, Synchronic can pride itself on capturing the dark underbelly of American atmosphere, mixing in fantasy and science-fiction elements with surprising ease.