Synchronic (film)

Last updated

Synchronic
Synchronic poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Justin Benson
Aaron Moorhead
Written byJustin Benson
Produced by
  • Justin Benson
  • Aaron Moorhead
  • David Lawson Jr.
  • Michael Mendelsohn
Starring
CinematographyAaron Moorhead
Edited by
  • Aaron Moorhead
  • Justin Benson
Music by Jimmy LaValle
Production
companies
Distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 7, 2019 (2019-09-07)(TIFF)
  • October 23, 2020 (2020-10-23)(United States)
Running time
102 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million [2]

Synchronic is a 2019 American science fiction horror film directed and produced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Written by Benson, the film shares continuity with other films by Benson and Moorhead, following Resolution and The Endless . Synchronic stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan as paramedics who investigate a series of inexplicable deaths and their connection to a new designer drug.

Contents

It had its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released on October 23, 2020, by Well Go USA Entertainment.

Plot

Steve, a womanizing New Orleans paramedic, and his devoted partner, Dennis, face a string of deaths all linked to a new designer drug, Synchronic. When Steve is accidentally pricked by a contaminated needle during a call, tests reveal not only possible infection but also an aggressive cancer in his underdeveloped pineal gland.

Driven to uncover the truth about Synchronic, Steve tracks down the drug's creator. He learns it warps the pineal gland's perception of time, sending users backwards through history. Children experience full time travel, while adults exist only as ghost-like figures in the past.

Meanwhile, Dennis's teenage daughter, Brianna, vanishes. His marriage collapses and he misjudges Steve, whose declining health and painkiller use he mistakes for drug addiction. Their conflict turns into a physical fight.

Fueled by his diagnosis and a desire to find Brianna, Steve experiments with Synchronic. He witnesses Louisiana's past, escaping encounters with a conquistador and the Ku Klux Klan. Using his dog, Hawking, he discovers the location of pill consumption dictates the destination year. But Hawking is lost in the 1920s, unable to return with Steve.

Steve deduces that physical contact with objects can anchor someone in a specific time. Returning to the park where Brianna disappeared, he encounters prehistoric tribesmen but learns Brianna might have simply wandered off before taking Synchronic.

Reconciling with Dennis, Steve reveals his cancer diagnosis. Joined by their colleague Tom, they review Steve's time-travel footage and rush to the cemetery where Steve's family is buried. From there, they journey back to the park.

Within the chaos of the War of 1812, Steve locates a terrified Brianna. When a looter, mistaking Steve for a runaway slave, threatens them, Steve sacrifices himself as a distraction so Brianna can use his last pill to return to the present. Fatally injured and the looter killed by a landmine, Steve carves the word "ALLWAYS" into a boulder. This act casts him as the originator of the symbol found there in the present.

Dennis embraces a safely returned Brianna, as Steve's spectral form lingers. His journey complete, Steve bids a peaceful farewell.

Cast

Production

In September 2018, it was announced Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie had joined the cast of the film, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead directing. [3]

Synchronic shares continuity with previous films by Benson and Moorhead. It is mentioned that the titular drug was synthesized from a red flower grown in the California desert, referencing the plant smoked by members of a commune in the film The Endless . [4]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019. [5] Shortly after, Well Go USA Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film, announcing a 2020 release. [6] It was released in theaters on October 23, 2020. [7]

Synchronic was released on digital and video on demand in the United States on January 12, 2021. The movie was released on Netflix in the US on April 16, 2021. [8]

Reception

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 79% based on 155 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Synchronic sets off on an intriguingly idiosyncratic journey that should satisfy fans of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson's earlier work." [9] Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Mackie</span> American actor

Anthony Dwane Mackie is an American actor. Mackie made his film debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film 8 Mile (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his performance in the LGBT drama Brother to Brother (2004), and in the same year, appeared in psychological thriller The Manchurian Candidate, the Spike Lee TV film Sucker Free City, and the sports film Million Dollar Baby. Mackie starred in Half Nelson (2006); in 2008, Mackie both appeared in the action thriller Eagle Eye and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Hurt Locker. He portrayed Tupac Shakur in Notorious (2009) and later starred in Night Catches Us (2010), and The Adjustment Bureau and Real Steel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Dornan</span> Actor, model and musician from Northern Ireland (born 1982)

James Peter Maxwell Dornan is an actor, model, and musician from Northern Ireland. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2020, he was named one of Ireland's greatest film actors by The Irish Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Stan</span> Romanian and American actor (born 1982)

Sebastian Stan is a Romanian–American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and including the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).

Synchronic may refer to:

<i>The Theory of Everything</i> (2014 film) 2014 biographical film of the life of Stephen Hawking

The Theory of Everything is a 2014 biographical romantic drama film directed by James Marsh. Set at the University of Cambridge, it details the life of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. It was adapted by Anthony McCarten from the 2007 memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Hawking, which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband Stephen Hawking, his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and his success in the field of physics. The film stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, with Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, Christian McKay, Harry Lloyd, and David Thewlis featured in supporting roles. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 November 2014. It had its UK premiere on 1 January 2015.

<i>Resolution</i> (film) 2012 film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Resolution is a 2012 American horror film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Benson, and starring Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran. It follows a graphic designer who travels to a remote cabin to save his drug-addicted best friend. The films The Endless (2017) and Synchronic (2019) share the same creative universe as Resolution and may be interpreted as partial sequels.

Garrett Basch is an American film and television producer. He is best known for his work on the Emmy-winning series The Night Of and What We Do in the Shadows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead</span> American filmmaking duo

Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead are an American filmmaking duo. Both have served in directing, producing, editing, and acting roles in their projects, while Moorhead is also a cinematographer and Benson is a writer.

<i>Greed</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

Greed is a 2019 satirical black comedy film written and directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film stars Steve Coogan, David Mitchell, Asa Butterfield, Dinita Gohil, Sophie Cookson, Jonny Sweet, Asim Chaudhry, Shirley Henderson, and Isla Fisher. The film centres around Sir Richard McCreadie, played by Coogan, a billionaire high-street fashion mogul loosely based on Arcadia Group chairman Philip Green, and events surrounding the build-up to his 60th birthday celebrations on the Greek island of Mykonos.

<i>Endings, Beginnings</i> 2019 romantic drama film by Drake Doremus

Endings, Beginnings is a 2019 romantic drama film, directed by Drake Doremus, from a screenplay he wrote alongside Jardine Libaire. The film is semi-improvised and loosely based on the screenplay. It stars Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan and Matthew Gray Gubler.

<i>I Care a Lot</i> 2020 film by J Blakeson

I Care a Lot is a 2020 American satirical black comedy thriller film written and directed by J Blakeson. The film stars Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, and Damian Young, with Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Dianne Wiest. The film follows a con woman who makes a living as a court-appointed guardian, seizing and selling the assets of vulnerable elderly people, including the mother of a dangerous mafia boss.

<i>Hotel Transylvania: Transformania</i> 2022 Sony Pictures Animation film

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is a 2022 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation and released by Amazon Studios. It is the fourth and final feature film in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and the sequel to Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), the film was directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska from a screenplay by Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo and Genndy Tartakovsky. It stars the voices of Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Hull, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell, Asher Blinkoff, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and Zoe Berri. In the film, Dracula and Johnny team up to find a crystal in South America to turn themselves back into normal, before their transformations become permanent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattson Tomlin</span> Romanian-American screenwriter and producer

Mattson Tomlin is a filmmaker and writer.

<i>The Lincoln Lawyer</i> (TV series) Television series from Netflix

The Lincoln Lawyer is an American legal drama television series created for television by David E. Kelley and developed by Ted Humphrey, based on the books of Michael Connelly. It stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, a defense attorney in Los Angeles who often works out of a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Navigator. Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson, and Christopher Gorham also star.

<i>Belfast</i> (film) 2021 film by Kenneth Branagh

Belfast is a 2021 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan and Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his "most personal", follows a young boy's childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969.

<i>Heart of Stone</i> (2023 film) American film by Tom Harper

Heart of Stone is a 2023 American spy action thriller film directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder and a story by Rucka. The film stars Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighöfer. Its plot follows an international intelligence operative who must embark on a dangerous mission to protect a mysterious artificial intelligence system known as "The Heart". She is tasked by the peacekeeping operation known as Charter to keep the object safe from falling into enemy hands.

<i>The Tourist</i> (TV series) Internationally co-produced television series

The Tourist is a 2022 drama thriller / black comedy television series. It stars Jamie Dornan as the victim of a car crash who wakes up in a hospital in the Australian outback with amnesia. The series premiered on 1 January 2022 on BBC One in the UK, the next day on Stan in Australia, and on 3 March on HBO Max in the US. The second series, set in Ireland, premiered on 1 January 2024 in the UK and Australia, and on 29 February 2024 in the US.

<i>Twisted Metal</i> (TV series) 2023 television series

Twisted Metal is an American post-apocalyptic action comedy television series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Michael Jonathan Smith. Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the series stars Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church.

Patriot Pictures is an American independent production company.

References

  1. "Synchronic". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  2. "Synchronic (2020)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  3. White, Peter (September 17, 2018). "'Captain America's Anthony Mackie & 'A Private War's Jamie Dornan To Star In 'Synchronic' From 'The Endless' Directors". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  4. Mancuso, Vinnie (April 16, 2021). "Synchronic Explained: Benson & Moorhead's Time-Travel Shared Universe". Collider . Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  5. Vlessing, Etan (August 13, 2019). "'The Aeronauts,' 'Burnt Orange Heresy' Added to Toronto Film Fest Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (October 10, 2019). "Jamie Dornan-Anthony Mackie Sci-Fi 'Synchronic' Sells To U.S. & Major International Markets". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  7. Wiseman, Andreas (September 11, 2020). "'Synchronic' Starring Jamie Dornan And Anthony Mackie Gets October Release Date From Well Go". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  8. "Anthony Mackie's 'Synchronic' Making SVOD Debut on Netflix in April 2021". What's on Netflix. April 1, 2021.
  9. "Synchronic (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  10. "Synchronic Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 1, 2020.