Pretty disappointing actually. I forgave the stylistic quirks and overuse of yellow filters in Spring because they came with an innovative story. <I<Synchronic was a much less innovative science fiction adventure, so it didn't bank enough goodwill to get me through the problems.

Which go beyond the cinematographic choices. At the end of the movie, Anthony Mackie sacrifices himself to save the white girl. It's set up appropriately, with good emotional weight around the importance of friendship. Nevertheless, it's a black guy dying in the past at the hands of a white bigot for the sake of a white woman, and that lands poorly.

I think they meant well. Time travel should suck for black people, all things considered. They just didn't think through the implications.

It's a shame because the elements I like about their work are all here. The intricate connections between moments are so good, and they even subvert that at one point. The nods to a larger universe are catnip for the genre hound in me. The cinematography is fluid and controlled. It's just not all that interesting a story.

Hooptober X
Progress: 15/31
Prompt: five films by Moorhead & Benson (et al.)