Synchronicity (2015)
Directed by: Jacob Gentry
Written by: Alex Orr, Jacob Gentry
Starring: AJ Bowen, Brianne Davis, Chad McKnight, Michael Ironside, Scott Poythress
SYNCHRONICITY (2015)
Directed by Jacob Gentry
Screened at Grimmfest 2015
A talented scientist named Jim Beale is convinced he and his team have successfully invented a machine that can create a wormhole and fold space-time and invites investor Klaus Meisner to view the simulation in order to gain extra funding to complete the machine. When a rare black dahlia appears after running their machine, Jim must do whatever it takes to find the original flower to prove that his machine truly works. Whilst searching for the origins of mysterious flower, Jim meets Abby who seems more interested in his work than she should be. Suspecting that she is working for Klaus to steal his work, Jim decides to use the machine to travel back in time to fix the mistakes he’s made to prevent Klaus and Abby from taking the machine for themselves but his time-hopping reveals some truths he was not expecting…
Part sci-fi, part mystery and part thriller, SYNCHRONICITY is a stylish mind-bender of a film that deals with time-travel on various levels and what happens if you should mess with the space-time continuum. Much like other films which deal with time travel, expect to see scenes repeated as protagonist Jim sets about trying to fix his problems. Despite initial expectations of the movie to concentrate on the idea of time travel itself, this particular film focuses as much on the relationships in the film between characters as it does on Jim’s highly sought after experiments.
I personally love time travel and quantum mechanics movies even though they are often above and beyond my mental understanding. SYNCHRONICITY is much more than your generic sci-fi though with a tragic story at the core of it that explores the beliefs of characters and what one would do for another, be it for love or for greed. As the viewer, our opinion is formed purely from what Jim perceives and what he sees in one reality might not be the same as onlooking from another. It’s quite clear that the old “if I could go back in time” idea isn’t as simple as you would think and the consequences of trying to fix problems may be greater than the original issue itself.
The film never really drops the pace and manages to keep the momentum going as Jim races around to prove his invention works, gain the grant from Meisner and find the Dahlia, with time to spare to get romantically involved with femme fatale Abby. His headless chicken approach is a nightmare for his scientist co-workers, especially when he decides to use himself as the test subject, as he refuses to stay put and explores his new timeline to alter the future he believes he’s messed up. We only need to take a look at other time-travel films to know that altering anything other than what is necessary will only spell trouble in the long run.
With a captivating story, stunning noir-esque set design and a fine lead in the form of Chad McKnight, bouncing off of a wicked businessman played by genre favourite Michael Ironside as Klaus Meisner, SYNCHRONICITY invites you into its world to show you not everything is always as it seems and that pride and suspicion can often cloud our judgement of what really matters in life.
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