Synchronic

This review may contain spoilers!

Synchronic follows Steve and Dennis, a pair of New Orleans paramedics who are the front line response to a new designer drug that is killing a widespread number of people while generating some supernatural phenomenon. It's not long before the drug itself becomes entangled in their personal lives and it's a matter of time before things are salvaged or fall apart for good. This film builds a really strong hook into the otherworldly aspect of this film; crafting these extremely violent and bizarre trauma scenes for our medics to navigate. Any time the film veers down this path, forcing us to ask what on Earth is going on gives the film a sense of mounting horror. At the same time you're being treated to this compelling contrast; watching this bond of a friendship that is wearing down by one man going through a struggling marriage, while the other receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Watching both men avoid their own destruction or run headfirst into it at different points of the film is a nice, very real representation of human interaction. As we journey deeper into the sci-fi component I grew very impressed with how methodically and rational the protagonist dealt with learning about the drug and used this to improve his ability to handle it. The film tied together in this really touching message about respect, friendship and love; showing how the bonds we make can be worth sacrificing for. The way this film was shot was a very loose fluid method that showcased movement in a scene, there was a very measured approach to make you feel very present alongside the character while also feeling off-kilter in the scenes that required that. The editing is a very nice style that sets the tone between scenes very nicely, blending abrupt cuts with gradual fades to create a differing method of transitioning. The score for Synchronic is another major success, the music used has this piercing way of setting you on edge while also maintaining strong emotional cues for those heavier to watch scenes.

 

Jamie Dornan, who played Dennis, was the more grounded role out of the two leads; Dornan tempered Mackie's wild side and acted as an almost benevolent caretaker of their world and the world of his family.

However, the best performance came from Anthony Mackie, who played Steve. Steve was certainly the more carefree and aloof friend when we first meet him, it's clear he doesn't hold himself responsible to much and lives a very easygoing life in spite of his profession. Mackie and Dornan also have a steady on-screen chemistry that makes things very heartfelt in terms of their characters' friendship; the moments of connection and conflict are so thoroughly explored that it becomes the heart of the film. As Synchronic progresses you get to see Steve's upbeat exterior as more of a shell hiding the fear he has towards his terminal cancer. Mackie really shows the walls his role throws up in relation to this very well, and the reluctance he has to share his condition is a strong motivating factor of the feature. I was really impressed with how serious and methodical Steve takes the time travel element of the film, steadily analysing and exploring the phenomenon. Yet Mackie delivers on the overwhelming shock and unbelievable rush his role feels by going through experience. One of Mackie's best roles yet in a film that has really set a high bar for the rest of the year.

This film occasionally had a bit of wry wit about pointing out plot elements they were going to subvert such as the paramedic with a drug problem, but the effect of this was that you were underwhelmed by the trope being played upon. The way this feature was written really eliminated some subtlety at times in an otherwise well-concocted feature. There also wasn't much consistency in terms of how victims of Synchronic acted on the drug versus how Steve acted while on the drug, often navigating the past far easier than those who perished or suffered tragedy. The main two characters also had a great friendship worth exploring but the fact they were both ultimately were disgruntled people meant the film felt a bit one-note at times and we never saw opposites playing against each other.

Katie Aselton, who played Tara, feels rather cliched as the distant wife to Dornan's struggling husband; Aselton's moments of conflict never feel like they come from her character so much as they're needed by the script. Ally Ioannides, who played Brianna, has this detached way of presenting her rebellious teenage role that makes her hard to relate; the film never spends a lot of time exploring Ioannides' character choosing to instead treat her more as a plot device than a person.

A transcending blend of Limitless meets Tenet, one of the better films in the sci-fi thriller genre. I would give Synchronic an 8/10.