Synchronic (2019) Some of Benson & Moorhead’s best work (Review)

Since they announced their arrival with a bang in 2012 with Resolution, Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have been two of the more captivating talents on the independent genre circuit. They followed that up with Spring and Resolution quasi-sequel, The Endless. In 2021 (debuting in America in 2019), the director duo has returned with their latest rendition of sci-fi that melds together interesting and often thoughtful concepts with characterisation and structure that you’d find in an Austin-era Richard Linklater movie. That film is Synchronic, a film that sees the pair work with their highest-profile actors to date – Anthony Mackie & Jamie Dornan.

Anthony Mackie (Steve) and Jamie Dornan (Dennis) play two New Orleanian paramedics whose lives take a turn for the worst with the arrival of a new designer drug, Synchronic. Dennis and his marriage fall apart after his teenage daughter goes missing – Steve, on the other hand, is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The pair are called to the latest scene of violent and strange events where people overdosing can be called a best-case scenario. As for the worst-case scenario, one patient has broken his leg to the extent that his bone is protruding, and he is speaking a completely new foreign language. Another couple is attacked by an exotic snake and stabbed with an ancient tribal sword – this is in the middle of modern-day New Orleans, remember? Synchronic isn’t just some new designer lab-made drug; this drug affects the pineal gland of younger people and transports them through time. If things go wrong, you can go missing. If things go worse – the time the drug sends you to could see animals, the locals, or even the weather kill you.

One of the consistencies of Benson and Moorhead’s work is that they achieve well beyond their means. In their last movie, the Endless, an elder god inflicted infinite time loops upon the hapless heroes, a big idea that was realised through clever editing. The weirdness is Synchronic isn’t as profound as their previous films. Instead, in the last act, events jump to and from eras home to Conquistadors, murderous KKK types, the American Civil War and an ancient frozen north. Again, this was done through clever post-production visual effects and location scouting.

Time travel films are undone by directors valuing the contrivance of the concept or putting too much value on the comedy of errors that arise from placing modern heads in old times. Benson and Moorhead aren’t “every other director”. They are directors who stretch every available penny to the breaking point. Whether deep-sea abominations in Medditerian Italy or Anthony Mackie appearing in a tiny pre-civil war New Orleans with his dog, they pull off big ideas on a small budget. The subtle effects, post-production and world-building are among the most impressive the director duo have ever pulled off. And, given their previous work, this is far from damming with faint praise.

A great deal of the project’s success comes through the aforementioned subtle world-building that keeps things within the realms of reason; the more significant triumphs, however, come from their character work. Benson and Moorhead’s script allude to relationships older than the 100 minutes we spend in their company because the drama has real-life ramifications rather than just reacting to whatever situation they find themselves in. The scene where Dornan explains what happened on Mackie’s 30th birthday is one of the more unsettling examples of this in action. More important than that is chemistry. Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan don’t feel like two actors who met on set; they feel like old friends. Combine that spark with a typically strong script, and you have some of Benson and Moorhead’s maturest work to date.

Synchronic may feature some of their best work, with some of their best performances and scenes that walk a tightrope from relatable and funny to tragic, yet I cannot count it among their best features. Synchronic doesn’t hit the highest of highs due to expectations. Their work (Resolution, Spring and The Endless) has been at its best in two-handers where two people find themselves in an unbelievable situation. In Synchronic, that element goes walkabout halfway as Dennis and Steve have a falling out. This is not the indie buddy comedy through time the marketing suggested it was. Knowing what makes the directors tick and the sort of stories they tell, the last act (which may have some of Benson and Moorhead’sbest work) feels incomplete as Anthony Mackie is negotiating it himself. Not that this is a total bust. Mackie is excellent. His performance reminds you how good he was before the MCU monolith consumed him whole. However, the film feels shallow in the scenes that strive for the biggest impact, which ultimately leads to the ending taking you by surprise. An “oh, that’s it?” sort of surprise. I was hoping for some Dornan and Mackie time travelling, the film feels like it is building up towards it, and it just wasn’t meant to be. In a single phrase, anti-climatic.

Benson and Moorhead are still directors that demand your attention. No one else is making these humble, idea-led sci-fi projects that are character-driven, small and spectacle-driven. Yet, with all its successes and that woozy [The] Album Leaf droning electronica score, Synchronic falls just shy of its promise. Maybe it would’ve been better if the directors featured in the central roles as they’ve done throughout their careers.

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