Watch the trailer for Synchronic, the mind-bending sci-fi movie the directors don’t want you to see in cinema

When it comes to mind-bending science fiction movies released in 2020 that you should or should not watch in cinemas, you will probably immediately think of Chris Nolan’s Tenet. After all, the Warner Bros tentpole has dominated box office report headlines over the last few weeks about whether or not it was wise for the studio to release it while the world – and especially America – is still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now a different mind-bending science fiction movie has entered the conversation about theatrical releases, and for the exact opposite reason.

Synchronic is the highly anticipated film from co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan which drew mountains of praise and hype when it hit the film festival circuit earlier this year. Picked up for release by Well Go USA, the film is finally hitting cinemas next month. And Benson and Moorhead really don’t want you to go see it. That may be a very odd stance to take by filmmakers, but as as the duo explained in an Instagram post, they would rather have their audience stay safe than get back into theatres right now.

As the duo stated in their opening line though, the distribution of Synchronic is out of their control. Shortly after their Instagram post went live, Well Go USA issued a statement (via IndieWire) indicating that as long as guidelines issued by the National Association of Theatre Owners are followed, it should be safe.

Well Go has a long and valued history with our friends at Rustic Films, including future projects; we applaud them for expressing themselves and encourage the same for all the artists we work with. Nonetheless, we stand behind the guidelines developed by NATO for the public and theaters to follow and stay safe enjoying movies on the big screen.

So what exactly will you be or not be seeing? Well, luckily the first trailer has now dropped for Synchronic and I have to say it looks damn impressive, with Mackie and Dornan’s paramedics caught up in some twisty time-warping sci-fi mystery. Check it out below.

I’ve yet to see any of Benson and Moorhead’s previous work, particularly the 2017 sci-fi horror The Endless, but I’ve heard pretty good things for the small-scale genre maestros. Synchronic appears to be continuing that great run. With no local South African release on the horizon yet, let’s just hope that it will hit also hit some form of VOD so we can have a look at this. For folks in the US, Synchronic debuts in cinemas on 23 October 2020.

Here’s the full synopsis:

When New Orleans paramedics and longtime best friends Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are called to a series of bizarre, gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to the mysterious new party drug found at the scene. But after Dennis’s oldest daughter suddenly disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality—and the flow of time itself.

Last Updated: September 17, 2020