Director: Jacob Gentry
MPAA Rating: R
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Once or maybe twice a year, if we’re lucky, we get treated to an inventive indie sci-fi flick that brings a slick presentation and mind-bending story without relying on bank-breaking budgets.
In the past we’ve had films like Primer, Coherence and even the more recent Predestination that take the idea of time travel and parallel dimensions and spin it into something more than just your typical science fiction fare. While Jacob Gentry’s latest, Synchronicity, may not be as narratively astute as those films, it’s definitely a worthy entry into this list and an easy recommendation for those looking for a satisfying mind-bender.
Gentry employs the help of three actors he’s worked with previously, Chad McKnight, AJ Bowen and Scott Poythress, and casts them as scientists on the verge of one of the greatest discoveries ever achieved by man-time travel. Unfortunately, after McKnight’s character of Jim falls hard for a girl (Brianne Davis) who ends up playing him on behalf of her employer, the evil corporate overlord Klaus (Michael Ironside), Jim must use the machine to go back and correct his mistakes before losing it all.
Synchronicity doesn’t dillydally in getting the science fiction shenanigans going, opening to the three men running their first test on the machine. While at first it appears that the test was a failure, upon viewing the video footage they see the silhouette of a person emerging from the wormhole they created. At this point the movie quickly begins folding its layers on top of itself and the wonderfully confounding concept of time travel takes hold.
The film plays out more like a romance than a sci-fi thriller, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, causing the underlying theme of the film more reminiscent of Predestination than Primer, but the influences from the latter are evident throughout nearly the entire runtime. All the various gadgets, computers and pieces of machinery look exactly how you would imagine a real machine of this sort, and although the story appears to take place in the future, it’s as if it is an ’80s version of the future.
Gentry utilizes a very dark, nearly colorless palette for the aesthetics, relying on the use of shadow to achieve much of the movie’s visual flare. It’s a technique that works within the rest of the visuals, drawing an almost noir-like vibe similar to Blade Runner or Dark City. Interestingly, the film never felt too derivative, despite clearly being influenced by so many other pieces of cinema.
One of the highlights is Ben Lovett’s score, a synth-laden ’80s throwback that makes sure you know it’s there in nearly every scene. Normally I get distracted when a score is so prominently on display, but in this case it complemented the nostalgic sci-fi feel of the film perfectly.
One major complaint I’ve had with Gentry’s previous films over the years has been their less-than-impressive dialogue and performances. Sadly, these elements are what really bring Synchronicity down a few pegs and prevent it from being something truly special. The love story the entire film hinges on felt disingenuous and ham-fisted and while the acting is mostly “okay” with Bowen being the highlight. Some of the actors just didn’t have the ability to bring the emotional fortitude needed for the role.
Still, Synchronicity is an entertaining and clever little time-travel story that contains all the fun twists and turns that any good time travel story should have, along with a great retro aesthetic and fantastic score. This was a pleasant surprise and definitely worth a look.
