Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan Teamed Up for This Wildly Trippy Time-Travel Thriller

Benson and Moorhead expertly weave a story full of its own mythology and heart. And it all works out because of Mackie and Dornan’s dynamic as partners who have become family. Ultimately, the quartet produced a remarkable sci-fi flick that got lost in the pandemic VOD releases. Gearing up for Benson and Moorhead’s work on Daredevil: Born Again and Mackie’s Captain America: Brave New World, this is the perfect time to catch up on Synchronic.

What Is ‘Synchronic’ About?

Mackie’s Steve and Dornan’s Dennis are the two sides of a very unbalanced coin. Steve’s life has been harsh and plagued by loss—both his parents and little sister died a long time ago. To cap things off, he’s just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, but Steve copes and shields himself by being a womanizer and a loner. Dennis, in turn, is a family man who just welcomed his second child. But even when his life might seem a bit more pieced together, he’s still struggling to find common ground with both his wife Tara (Katie Aselton) and their eldest daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides).

Even when Steve's and Dennis’ life situations are almost opposite, their emotional voids bind them, and they find refuge in each other. More than partners, they’re already brothers, with tough-but-sweet Mackie complementing Dornan’s passive-but-caring. After they discover the synthetic drug—called Synchronic—which allows the user to experience time in a non-linear way, Steve and Dennis face challenges that separate their journeys. They both try to blur barriers, but while Steve tries to do it with time, Dennis fights to do it with his own wife after their daughter Brianna disappears.

‘Synchronic’ Builds Upon Its Own Mythology To Tell an Innovative Sci-Fi Horror

Benson’s script is full of details regarding the functioning of Synchronic. With initial scenes that indicate the movie might lean more to an LSD-induced trip, it’s then complemented by explanatory elements that keep Synchronic’s lore very grounded. The drug works more intensely on young people, displacing them from time completely, whereas adults are only able to see the past. This is why the body count keeps increasing, and in this way, Synchronic succeeds as sci-fi horror. Showing what happens to adults who have interacted with savage versions of the past, impactful and graphic scenes take the spotlight to remind us time isn’t to be meddled with.

As expected, the use of Synchronic is behind Brianna’s disappearance, trapping her in the past. Steve’s cancer allows him to travel to the past as well, and he makes it his mission to bring her back. While he starts working alone, the eventual reeling in of Dennis is organic, and the latter never doubts his best friend’s word. Steve is able to find Brianna all the way back during the Civil War and returns her to the present safely, but with him staying behind. It isn’t sad, for Steve, at his core, was aching to find a purpose for his soon-to-end life.

In the end, Synchronic’s mix of self-contained mythology and profound personal drama makes it a worthy low-budget sci-fi horror to rewatch—for its strength lies in its modesty. It’s also a great addition to Mackie, Dornan, and Benson and Moorhead’s filmography. The film’s commentary on how people with polarizing lives can still find ways to supplement each other and grow together is a life lesson that, in these times of adversity, needs to be reinforced. This way, Steve is able to live his final moments as a hero—while closing a causality time loop—and Dennis has a second chance to appreciate his imperfect family and make things right with them. Thanks to Mackie and Dornan’s chemistry, this time-exploring duo is a pleasure to watch while solving the Synchronic mystery together.