Directing duoJustin BensonandAaron Moorheadhave been on a very impressive run withResolution,SpringandThe Endless, and now they’re back with more at TIFF 2019. Their latest film,Synchronic, starsAnthony MackieandJamie Dornanas Steve and Dennis respectively, a pair of New Orleans paramedics. One night the duo must tend to what they think is a routine overdose when, in fact, the incident is tied to a synthetic narcotic called synchronic, which is essentially a time travel drug.
WithSynchroniccelebrating its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, Benson, Moorhead andAlly Ioannideswho plays Dornan’s daughter in the movie all visited the Collider Lounge to talk about their experience making the movie. Benson and Moorhead detail the journey fromThe EndlesstoSynchronic, share some thoughts on the time travel genre in general, and also add toa prior conversationwe had regarding the rise of streaming services. you’re able to catch all of that and so much more in the video interview at the top of this article.
You can find a full breakdown of the interview and the official TIFF synopsis forHopebelow:
Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Ally Ioannides:
When New Orleans paramedics and close friends Steve (Anthony Mackie, also at the Festival withSeberg) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan, also at the Festival withEndings, Beginnings) arrive on the scene for what seems like a typical overdose, they end up stumbling upon a bizarre plot that will take them down a most unexpected path.
The common denominator in a series of grisly, drug-related deaths is a synthetic narcotic known as synchronic, which has some extreme side effects that don’t just alter consciousness. When Dennis' teenage daughter (Ally Ioannides) tries synchronic and goes missing, Steve, who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, aims to discover the truth behind the killer drug and inadvertently sets off on a journey to find her — one that leaves him reckoning with his own identity. In what is either a bad trip or a breakthrough, Steve dives deeper and deeper, coming face to face with his place in history as well as the present.
