The Film That Bent Time and Reality
Not every sci-fi film touches the heart and incorporates the spiritual and the scientific. That is what 2019 Synchronic managed to do. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the film centers on two New Orleans paramedics Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) and the spiral that ensues when they come across a certain designer drug that alters time.
The film is truly one of a kind since the director managed to capture the essence of time, sci-fi, grief, friendship, and ultimately the human experience. However, the biggest offer was the manner in which Synchronic’s stars, and particularly Anthony Mackie, integrated their industry and personal life within the passion of the movie.
It was most unexpected that, in turn, Synchronic was to have a huge impact on their lives.
Anthony Mackie: From Falcon to Fearless
At the time Synchronic was in production, Anthony Mackie was already a globally recognized actor in the role of Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nevertheless, Mackie was still in search of characters that carried emotional weight beyond the costume of a superhero and the action parts. Synchronic was that film.
For Mackie, the role of Steve, a paramedic who begins experimenting with a time-altering drug after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, was profoundly impactful and emotionally challenging. He later shared in interviews how Steve’s confrontation with fear and proximity of death was particularly resonant during that time in Mackie’s life while he was juggling the responsibilities of a demanding profession and the care of six children.
Unlike other massive projects, the film provided him with the opportunity to foster and nurture the creative bonds he had deeply missed. Mackie appreciated being able to work with Benson and Moorhead in a less hierarchical context as it allowed him to work on the scenes’ emotional cadence and balance. The ability to influence and adjust a work dramatically inspired him to once again embrace acting as a form of artistry.
After the film, Mackie’s career sustained and he was able to successfully move into roles as a leading man. His work fostered the confidence in producers that he was able to successfully manage and perform complex roles, and that faith enabled him to landing the leading roles in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect was the internal transformation he undergone. Post Synchronic, there was an unmistakable, even if slight, change in Mackie’s tone in interviews, becoming more introspective and contemplative, with a philosophical undertone, as if to suggest that the film along with its time and fame, provided him with a sentiment that was profoundly lost.
Jamie Dornan: Breaking the Chains of Grey
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Jamie Dornan, Synchronic’s leading star, pursued a career more focused on personal than professional reinvention. Following the hit Fifty Shades of Grey, he felt he was typecast as merely a “handsome face” in the genre of erotic romance. More than just a foray into fantasy, Synchronic allowed Jamie to embrace the humanity of an actual character.
As Dennis, Dornan’s character was a man struggling to cope with the burdens of family and emotional exhaustion. His chemistry with Mackie was “natural, grounded, and built on mutual respect.” For the Synchronic film, this proved to be a way for Dornan to embrace the serious dramatic actor identity he had almost lost.
Dornan described the shoot as “therapeutic” and a “solitary” experience where he found respite in the streets of New Orleans at night. Synchronic was a film made and released during the more tightly controlled phases of the Covid pandemic, where most of the western world was allowed to go “living and fragile” to a rhythm dictated by “time”.
The self assured trajectory of Dornan’s career post Synchronic included Belfast (2021), where he played a lead in Branagh’s semi autobiographical film, followed by his lead role in The Tourist (2022). In many ways, this film served as a bridge, connecting the actor to the image he wished to project—to be unafraid of displaying imperfection on screen. For the Synchronic film Dornan described the shoot as “therapeutic” and a “solitary” experience where he found respite in the streets of New Orleans at night. Synchronic was a film made and released during the more tightly controlled phases of the Covid pandemic, where most of the western world was allowed to go “living and fragile” to a rhythm dictated by “time”.
The Directors: Benson and Moorhead’s Ascension
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are recognized not just as directors but as a unique storytelling filmmaking duo. They are known for their intertwining DIY spirit and innovative narratives. Prior to Synchronic, they directed cult classics Resolution and The Endless, which both focused on looping timelines and dealt with cosmic dread.
Synchronic was, however, their first large scale collaboration with A-list actors. That was a transformative experience for them, not just on the professional front but on an emotional level, too. Mackie and Dornan’s engagement with the material helped the duo hone their voice for a more mainstream audience while retaining their indie ethos.
Their relationship with the cast was equally robust outside of the production. Mackie brought them into Marvel’s creative circle, which resulted in Benson and Moorhead directing episodes of Moon Knight (2022) and Loki Season 2 (2023). The leap was a remarkable one, going from a low-budget sci-fi drama to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Even now they describe Synchronic as the “turning point,” proving that emotional storytelling can powerfully cohere with cerebral science fiction.
THE BOND BEHIND THE CHAOS
Filming Synchronic was no walk in the park. The New Orleans enviroment , while beautiful, had unpredictable weather as well as tight schedules. Mackie described the late night scenes as ”emotionally brutal.” Dornan, in his usual joking manner, pointed out the humid air had “more character than all of us combined.”
Tough conditions, however, have the opposite effect than one might expect. The backdrops of silence, in between takes, were the most eloquent. They had quiet meals, talked families, and gave each other details about personal tragedies, all of which were in stark resemblance to the film. By the film’s completion, the bond became so apparent it was almost like a gift, and the authenticity of their performances was a testament to that.
When the film was released, it was met with praise of having ambitious performances that the limited budget simply did not allow for. What the audience did not see was the emotional growth of all the artists that was not directly related to the film, all of them working and staring down the daunting faces of time and change, as well as mortality.
THE AFTERGLOW OF SYNCHRONIC
For most films, the story ends as the credits roll. But for those involved with Synchronic, it was the beginning of a new chapter.
Mackie gained the confidence to lead a cinematic universe, and Dornan reclaimed his artistic focus. Benson and Moorhead made the jump from indie to mainstream.
There is a certain poetry to Synchronic in that it is a movie about bending time, and in doing so, it also reshaped the future of everyone who came in contact with it.
Long after its quiet release, the film remains a time capsule of transition—for its characters, its creators, and its cast who learned that sometimes the greatest journeys happen not within a story, but after it ends.
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