Sync Movie Review: A promising screen-life horror let down by an age-old plot

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the consequential rise in the use of video call apps for communication have contributed to the increase in horror and thriller films using such apps as the medium. While the concept was established early on in 2014 with Unfriended, films like Host, Searching and Missing have tried and tested the screen life genre. In Tamil cinema too, the 2022 film Connect, intertwines horror with computer screen technicalities. Joining this list is Vikas Anand Sridharan’s debut feature Sync, which  unfortunately, does not really bring anything new to the table. 

Director: Vikas Anand Sridharan

Cast: Kishen Das, Monica Chinnakotla, Soundarya Bala, Naveen George 

Streaming On: Aha

The Aha original film Sync revolves around 4 friends who are perpetrators of a hit-and-run case that ends up killing a woman. Out of panic and fear, they all get on a ‘Sync’ call to discuss how matters are to be handled, only for the video call to be haunted by the spirit of the victim. 

Just under 90 minutes, the run time is the biggest blessing for a film like Sync, which is burdened by a sense of predictability, and takes a cliched route to keep the ‘surprise’ element in sync with stereotypes. 

The one way Sync does stand out is perhaps its execution in terms of filming, and editing. In an interview with CE, Kishen revealed that the actors were asked to perform their parts separately, looking at a blank computer screen, as the crew read out the actions performed by their co-actors. In fact, this particular aspect of the execution is what made the film slightly more engrossing. And in that sense, Kishen Das, Monica Chinnakotla, Soundarya Bala and Naveen George are all brilliant as they showcase realistic emotions that are in sync with the film’s theme and sentiment. 

The eerie aspects of the film were perfectly balanced. Sync doesn’t indulge in shabby upside-down-walking-disfigured-white-clothes-wearing-ghost kind of horror elements. At the same time, it does not also aim high with its jump scares either. While it might be fear-inducing for the uninitiated, the horror parts may come out as underwhelming for fans of the genre. 

Through the course of the film, the friends keep saying to each other, “Guys, if this is a prank, please stop.” The film, which hits quite the crescendo pre-climax, seems like a prank played on the audience with an anti-climactic twist. Written typically with short film elements in mind, the climax lets down its audience. There is a lot of room left to be explored when it comes to computer screen horror. Yet Vikas Anand chooses the room that is possessed by the ‘truistic’ ghost.