Jacob Gentry is the director of the 2015 science fiction time-travel film Synchronicity. The main character of the movie is a man trying to persuade his financier that his time machine works. But he makes a huge leap of faith in order to prevent losing his own creation. Although it has a little budget, the film’s central idea and chronology have received a lot of attention. It has a potential plot hole and is a little bit muddled. Do take a look. Spoilers ahead for the Synchronicity movie’s plot and conclusion.
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Schematic of the Synchronicity movie timeline
Here is a timeline diagram of the entire movie:
Spoiler for the film Synchronicity
The central idea of the film Synchronicity is that Jim travelled to a parallel universe in addition to travelling back in time (alternate timeline). Movies like Primer and Avengers: Endgame demonstrate this. This implies that the other characters—Abby, Chuck, Matty, etc.—who appear in the second half of the movie are from a different universe. What significance does this have? In this parallel universe, Jim’s decisions won’t have a domino impact on his own future. He could theoretically put an end to Jim in the past, but that wouldn’t result in his own demise and would be paradoxical.
As we proceed, keep in mind that this film is about several Jims transitioning from and to parallel realms while also travelling across time.
Movie Synchronicity: A Plot Summary
Time Machine Explanation
A tool that can open two wormhole endpoints one week apart has been developed by Jim, Chuck, and Matt. The M.R.D. radioactive material, which Klaus provided, powers the apparatus. Opening the receiver end with the M.R.D. and receiving a special object from the future constitutes the first stage of their experiment. With the help of this item, they hope to convince Klaus that the device is functional and secure money for the second M.R.D. They’ll close the transmitting end of the wormhole a week later and send the special object they got a week earlier, closing the causal loop.
Jim predicts that this time-travel object will originate from their own timeline, or their own future. Jim loses consciousness as they show Klaus the device, and Klaus departs. A unique Dahlia blossom is found by Chuck and Matt at the experiment location.
Moving forward, we’ll have to give the various individuals and timeframes names.
Let’s call timeline-101 the first parallel timeline when the movie starts. Jim-101 is the Jim that we have been seeing so far. Chuck-101, Matt-101, Klaus-101, and so on are in accordance.
And who is Abby? What is she really like?
Abby, Klaus’ mistress, has been reading Jim’s writing and is creating a science fiction book with a character based on Jim. She is not a subversive operative for Klaus and she is not malevolent. She really falls in love with Jim when she first meets him.
Why faints Jim-101?
Although it isn’t depicted in the film, Jim-100 shows up with a Dahlia flower from timeline-100 in the demo to Klaus-101. Jim-101 passes out when there are two Jims in the same timeframe. Later, when they view the video footage and notice an unidentified man rushing out, they are able to corroborate Jim-100’s arrival.
We never see Jim-100 or what he does in the movie, but we can infer from Jim-101’s subsequent behaviour.
Timeline-101 events and assumptions about Jim-100’s covert activities
Jim 100 arrives, exits, and collides with Abby 101. Shortly after speaking with Abby-101, Jim-100 departs. Jim-101 then appears and asks Abby-101, who is shocked, what she is doing there. We now understand Abby-101’s confusion regarding meeting Jim-101. Abby-101 has just had a run-in with Jim-100 as he is meeting her for the first time, and he is dressed differently (not shown in the film).
Klaus-101 and his wife are joined for dinner by Abby-101 and Jim-101, and Abby-101 helps persuade Klaus-101 to invest in that second M.R.D.
Jim-101 visits Abby-101’s residence and observes the unusual Dahlia. Chuck-101 calls him and tells him to leave the girl alone. How exactly did Chuck-101 learn about the girl? Jim-100 has gone over to meet Chuck-101 and Matt-101 to let them know that he is from the future, however this is not depicted in the movie.
Jim-101 arrives and collapses while Jim-100 hides inside the lab. Jim 100 approaches Abby 101 and spends the night with her (not shown). When Abby-101 returns after getting coffee in the morning, she bumps into Jim-101, who is speaking to Jim-100 over the intercom. Jim-101 and Abby-101 discuss his time machine in a bar. The fact that the Jim Abby-101 spent the night with was a different Jim, Jim-100, is unknown to Abby-101.
When Abby-101 is dozing off, Jim-101 makes out with her and steals the Dahlia from her home. [The next item is not displayed] Jim-100 moves over to Abby-101’s location and lies down next to her while Jim-101 departs. He then confronts her, accusing her of taking advantage of him. The science fiction book being written by Abby-101 is based on Jim’s life. Jim-100’s condition worsens because he is in a timeframe where Jim-101 already exists.
Jim-101 meets Klaus-101 and learns that his business owned the Dahlia. Furthermore, Klaus-101 demands 99% ownership of the study because it is such an essential component of the trial.
Jim-100 is driven to her residence by Chuck 101 and Abby 101. (not shown). When the second demo day arrives, Jim-101 appears at the door with the Dahlia and requests that she decide whether to attend by herself or with Klaus.
[This section is omitted] Along with Chuck 101 and Matt 101, Jim 100 devises a strategy to turn on the machine sooner, jump back, and prevent any of this from happening. They both agree, then Matt-101 makes a mistake that prevents the time leap from working, leaving the demo without an M.R.D.
The significance of the unsuccessful experiment
This error, in my opinion, creates many wormhole channels and enables several Jims from different timelines to cross them. Some timelines have more arrival points than others as a result of this error (as you can see in the timeline diagram). What happens to Jim-100 after he departs from timeline-101 is unknown.
For whatever reason, Abby-101, Klaus-101, and the Dahlia arrive on demo day. Before he goes, she slips Jim-101’s pocket with her tiny notebook, which contains the complete time travel narrative. Jim-101 jumps into the wormhole and travels to parallel timeline-102, which is one week in the past.
Timeline 102 events involving Jims 101 and 102
When Jim-101 arrives, he exits the Building and joins Abby-102 outside. She then encounters Jim-102 and is perplexed.
Klaus-102 and his wife are joined for dinner by Abby-102 and Jim-102, and Abby-102 helps persuade Klaus-102 to invest in that second M.R.D. (not shown in the film).
As Jim-101 runs into Chuck-102 and Matt-102, he instructs them to inform Jim-102 not to believe the girl when he calls him. It’s true.
Jim-102 arrives and collapses while Jim-101 hides. Jim 101 visits Abby 102 and spends the night with her. Jim-101 and Jim-102 converse over the intercom in the morning. Jim-102 is picked up by Abby-102 at the door and taken to breakfast.
Jim-101 observes Jim-102 and Abby-102 having a sexual encounter. Jim-101 is approached by Chuck-102, who tries to explain to him why utilising time travel to correct his relationship status is so flawed. Jim-101 visits Abby-102’s house after Jim-102 leaves and confronts her. The sole project Abby-102 was engaged in was a science fiction book. Jim-101’s illness worsens to the point of becoming fatal because he shares a timeline with Jim-102.
Jim-102 is taken advantage of by Klaus-102 because he owns 99% of his research (now shown).
When the second demo day arrives, Abby-102 is given the option of attending alone or with Klaus by Jim-101, who arrives at the door carrying the Dahlia. Jim-102 believes she’s with Klaus. She asks Chuck-102 and Jim-101 to leave after realising she had been duped by a future Jim. Jim-102 was the man Abby-102 thought she fell in love with, but Jim-101 surreptitiously invaded her life.
Chuck-102 and Matt-102 are persuaded by Jim-101 to start the machine sooner so that he can jump back and stop everything from happening. The jump is unsuccessful because to Matt-102’s error. Jim-101 is sent to timeline-103, an other timeframe.
Timeline-103’s events and the presence of several Jims
Jim-101 may not have travelled across time, but he has emerged in a different chronology. Let’s review. The first time Jim went through the machine, he went back in time by a week and arrived at timeline-102. Because to the error, Jim-101 entered the wormhole a second time and, at the same moment, left timeline-102 to enter timeline-103.
As he leaves, Chuck-103 can be heard asking, “You’re still running after her, huh?” Chuck-103, who has already met so many Jims that he doesn’t know who is who, is meeting Jim-101 in timeline-103. Chuck-103 is just aware of Jim’s pursuit of Abby through time and space.
Chuck-103 invites Jim-101 to supper despite the fact that Jim-101 would eventually pass away in this reality.
To obtain an additional M.R.D., Abby-103 decides to sleep with Klaus-103. Since Jim-101 would be the only Jim consciousness left when Jim-103 exits the timeline, she hopes he would live and the two can be together in happiness.
In an effort to stay alive longer, Jim-101 makes the decision to leave town and book a motel. As he arrives at the hotel, however, he discovers that another Jim, Jim-???, is also a guest and is found dead in his room.
Who is the mysterious dead Jim at the posh hotel?
Recall how I said Matt’s error severely tore open spacetime? One of the outcomes is shown here. Jims from several alternative universes seem to have been hopping across. When Jim-??? first appeared in timeline-103 is unknown. He seemed to have made every effort to survive, nevertheless, and has now booked a room. Jim-??? didn’t fare well, and he passed away in that chamber. The extent to which Jim-??? interacted with Chuck-103, Matt-103, and Abby-103 during this timeline-103 is unknown. In actuality, we don’t know too much about timeline-103.
The Dahlia, Klaus-103, and Abby-103 arrive on the day of the demo. To ensure that Jim-103 enters the wormhole, she maintains her coldness. Before he goes, she slips Jim-103’s pocket with her tiny notebook, which contains the complete time travel narrative. Jim-103 jumps into the wormhole and travels to other timeline-201, which is one week in the past.
Jim-101 is already dead when Abby-103 returns to see him, so she sobs by his bedside.
Timeline 201- Synchronicity Movie Finale Explanation
Synchronicity’s climax shows that Jim-103 has landed in a timeline where his alter ego, John, perished in a lab accident. He meets Abby-201, which seems to be the start of a nice relationship, and is healthy because Jim-103 is the only instance of his consciousness.
What’s the deal with 201? Let’s step back a moment.
Jim-103 leaves timeline-103 to travel back in time, but instead encounters timeline-201, which is very different from the other timelines we’ve seen. In this world, John Bane was Jim Beale’s birth name. There would be many timelines where Jim was born as John; the one we are experiencing is simply one of them. John-201, who opened the receiving end of the wormhole, tragically perished in a lab explosion. Jim-103 leaves the room and immediately discovers the diary in his pocket, which didn’t happen to Jim-100, Jim-101, or Jim-102. He becomes preoccupied by this and misses running into Abby-201 outside the building.
How did John Bane pass away?
As the initial attempt fails, Chuck-101 states in the first scene, “Maybe it was somebody from the future who came back to ruin our experiment since it eventually leads to some distant Armageddon.” If Jim-103 read the diary, did he realise that the only way he could survive was if the time machine was shattered? We can’t say for sure. And in the course doing that, he unintentionally murders John-201. This hypothesis takes away a lot of the “happy” from Jim-103’s happy conclusion, which is a tad depressing.
Here is my opinion. Abby-201 doesn’t run into either John-201 or Jim-103 outside the lab. Where did we learn this? Abby-201 doesn’t recognise Jim-103 when they first meet in the last scene at the diner. Also, this would imply that Abby-201 was not present to persuade Klaus-201 and his wife during supper. Without an M.R.D., John-201 would have been unable to conduct his experiment safely, which would have led to the lab explosion that ultimately killed him.
Happy Conclusion
Jim-103 is the sole awareness remaining in this timeline-201 because John-201 is dead, hence he is not perishing. Abby-201, who is seeing Jim-103 for the first time, introduces herself. John-201 is much admired by Abby-201, who is also creating a science fiction book on him. She informs Jim-103 that John Bane looks like him and that John-201 perished in a lab accident. Jim-103 offers Abby-201 a drink, indicating that he is aware of this.
The conclusion informs us that there are numerous possible timelines in which Jim was born John and perishes in a lab accident. If a Jim showed up in any of these universes, he would be secure. On the other hand, if Jim ends up in a time period where he is still living, he will perish by himself. Hence, Jim either perishes or survives, depending on which chronology he ends up in.
You now have a clear understanding of the Synchronicity storyline and resolution. How did you find the movie? Please share your ideas and theories in the section below.
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