“Horror, sci-fi thriller, something like that” — that’s how the acclaimed directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Resolution, The Endless) describe their films. And those same words aptly apply to their another collaboration, Synchronic.

The film follows two best friends, Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan), working as paramedics in New Orleans. On their rounds, they begin encountering a series of bizarre and disturbing deaths — each one linked to a mysterious new synthetic drug called “Synchronic.” Things take a personal turn when Dennis’s 18-year-old daughter disappears after taking the drug, and Steve takes it upon himself to investigate and find her.

Synchronic marks a departure from the duo’s earlier work: gone is the Lovecraftian horror, replaced with a more grounded scientific premise, and for the first time, Hollywood stars take the lead. Still, the film remains true to the directors’ recognizable style. Behind the sci-fi, thriller, and horror elements lies a deeply human story. Despite the familiar faces in the cast, the characters feel relatable and grounded.

The directors even poke fun at Jamie Dornan’s fame — best known for playing the dashing billionaire in Fifty Shades of Grey — by casting him as a chronically uncertain husband, whose only romantic success in his youth came thanks to a joke by his best friend.

True to form, Benson and Moorhead also stay loyal to their minimalist storytelling. The film’s world operates on simple rules, and the central theme — a meditation on time and our relationship to it — is right on the surface. Still, their unique delivery and strange cinematographic choices give the movie a sense of mystery and intrigue.

The screenplay does raise some questions, particularly around how key events seem to happen by chance. But overall, these issues don’t ruin the experience. In the end, this latest experiment from the directing duo can be called a success — definitely worth watching, though perhaps not for everyone. Viewers should be prepared for a slow-paced, philosophical take on time.

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