Directing duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have been slowly changing the sci-fi landscape with their unique brand of low-budget, mind-bending horror that alters reality and creates chaos out of the otherwise ordinary. Synchronic – their fourth feature – marks their most bold, assured work to date, a shift into the mainstream that will likely act as their calling card to wider audiences, thanks to the star power of leads Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. Built around a heady premise that is far more accessible than their earlier work, Synchronic is no less mind-boggling due to an abundance of clever camera work, visual effects that make the most of the minuscule budget and an eerie synth-heavy score that drips atmosphere over the whole affair. Rather than act themselves (as Benson and Moorhead have done before), the film is bolstered by the presence of Dornan and especially Mackie, whose performance gives the film a secondary dramatic layer that only serves to up the stakes of the sci-fi story at the centre.
Mackie and Dornan play paramedics Steve and Dennis, lifelong best friends and colleagues who arrive as first responders to a host of strange, unexplainable incidents. A stabbing with an ancient antique pirate sword. A bite from a snake not found anywhere near New Orleans. A brutally dismembered body found at the base of an elevator shaft. The only link between any of these episodes seems to be a new over-the-counter designer drug known as Synchronic. When Steve receives a damning cancer diagnosis and Dennis’ daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides) mysteriously disappears, the duo’s respective worlds are rocked and the ensuing stress of their situations creates a rift between the previously inseparable friends. Ingesting Synchronic after a chance encounter with its unhinged creator, Steve discovers a wholly transformative experience; one that will test the limits of what his mind perceives as real and which unexpectedly offers a chance at finding Brianna.
To discuss the effects of Synchronic would be to delve into spoiler territory, as Steve’s use of the drug shifts the story into a completely different, more sci-fi leaning direction. It’s a sharp turn from what has come before but one that offers a satisfying conclusion to those earlier events whilst opening up the story to a whole new mystery. The concept explored is well and truly a staple of the genre, but it takes on a more focused, narrow approach in Benson and Moorhead’s hands. The in-world experiments of Steve, who records each use of the drug for us to see, ensures the audience understands all the rules as they are learned by Steve himself, avoiding any overly complex and paradox creating exposition dumps. This narrowing of focus and shedding of complexity allows for Benson and Moorhead to have more fun with the adventures of Steve, rather than having to over-explain his exploits, although this fun is short-lived at times. Steve’s adventures take on a new light in the oeuvre of these type of genre films, given his African-American ethnicity, with an extremely timely yet horrifying reflection of our society in the response from the things he meets; think Get Out but without the passive aggressive subtlety of that film’s villains.
Moorhead continues his streak as cinematographer of the duo’s work here, but with more confidence and flair than ever. His camera work is simply beautiful to behold, with perspectives smoothly shifting from over-the-shoulder to first-person POV shots without skipping a beat, often through long unbroken takes that come to rest on some kind of unspeakable carnage or revelation. Similarly, the frequent use of handheld camera shots keep you locked in for the more stressful, action-heavy scenes, shaking and jittering as you run behind Mackie from danger. It can get a bit jarring and off-putting at times, but Moorhead achieves his objective in making you feel as disoriented as Steve is in these moments. When the film leans into the strange, other-worldly depths of its narrative, accompanied by a terrific score from Jimmy LaValle – all eerie, distorted synths and staccato strings – Moorhead’s camera follows suit, spinning around locations and coming to rest on vast galaxies and dimly lit landmarks of the rich New Orleans cityscape.
By far the biggest step-up from their previous work is the calibre of acting on display. Benson and Moorhead have long been darlings of the indie world, giving up-and-coming talent a start and often acting in their own project to surprisingly good results, but Mackie and Dornan are in a league of their own; fantastic as the tight-knit friends whose relationship threatens to crumble under the weight of their personal issues. Dornan is in fine form as the family man of the duo, who seemingly has it all with a loving wife, newborn daughter and his eldest on the way to college. There are hints that his marriage may be in trouble but it is not until Brianna’s disappearance do the cracks really begin to show and Dennis must come to terms with the fact that by focusing on his daughters he and his wife (Katie Aselton) have avoided addressing their own issues. Watching this otherwise stoic man crumble is heartbreaking, made even worse once he learns of Steve’s predicament and the prospect of losing another person in his life. In what may be his best performance to date, Mackie reveals a depth and nuance that other roles have only hinted at; unnaturally calm and muted compared to his typical energy and bravado as he receives his cancer diagnosis, with the sad realisation that his life is coming to an end giving his quest to find Brianna new meaning and desperation. The loss of his life, in Steve’s mind, will be worth not living his to the fullest if he can give his friend’s daughter another chance at hers.
While not their most complex or mind-bending story, Synchronic may just be Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s most complete package to date. Combining their indie sensibilities and small scale scope with a typically epic genre and the star power of Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan makes for an arresting, visually stunning sci-fi adventure with rich, fleshed out characters that you instantly connect with and feel for in the surprisingly emotional journey. Fans of this specific type of genre (again, we’ve avoided specifics for spoilers) may find that it doesn’t delve as deep as some others in the category, but the lack of complexity allows for the focus to be about these two deeply flawed characters and their struggle to right their own worlds, rather than to unravel decades of frankly confusing sci-fi silliness. With their move into the mainstream Marvel universe already assured with a recent hiring for the upcoming Moon Knight series, here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long for Benson and Moorhead’s return to the realm of trippy sci-fi horror madness.
Synchronic stars Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Katie Aselton & Ally Ioannides – In Australian cinemas February 11 and available on digital in the US now.