Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Two New Orleans paramedics' lives are ripped apart after encountering a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.
Synchronic blends time-travel sci-fi with body horror and a grounded bromance in a genuinely distinctive way — the pineal gland/designer drug mechanism and fragmented temporal sequences give it a singular voice that stands out in indie genre filmmaking. The New Orleans atmosphere is well-used and cinematography is competent though unremarkable. Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan deliver solid, believable performances without being exceptional. The plot setup is intriguing and the central concept is inventive, but the execution loses momentum as it progresses. The ending feels rushed and emotionally undercooked, failing to pay off the emotional stakes built between the two leads, landing below the promise of its setup.