SYNCOPE

A choreographer takes the saying “dance for your life” a little too literally during the intense audition and rehearsal process of his new show. In writer/director Linus von Stumberg’s SYNCOPE, blood, sweat and tears are all felt through the contagious rhythm of the film, with the tense narrative holding your breath hostage as the stakes go from life-changing to life-threatening.

“For all of us, it was crucial to create something both authentic and captivating,” confessed von Stumberg, who drew on almost a decade of experience as a dancer and choreographer to pen the screenplay. Adding that fight scenes were the inspiration behind the dance sequences, crafting them as “physical and psychological battlegrounds”. The film also conveys the convoluted expectations within the artistic world – ranging from self-imposed pressures to those from the group, the choreographer, the audience, and the press – all of this heavy weight is very much present throughout the film. 

“SYNCOPE is my graduation short film, financed with a crowdfunding. The crew and I were students at the time of production and the casted professional dancers are close friends of mine.” – director Linus von Stumberg

“In the script, I described the choreography as detailed as possible and wrote out all dramatic and rhythmic plot points,” von Stumberg reveals. Choreographer Sarafina Beck – who also appears in the film – translated his words into movement. Once they started teaching the choreography to the class, the director had already staged and blocked the scenes with DP Gaétan Nicolas. The images of the film not only capture the performance in the most enjoyable way for the audience, it also echoes the state of mind of the dancers – especially the specific framing of key scenes. 

From the very first scene of SYNCOPE, it’s clear that we will experience this story through the perspective of one of the auditioning dancers. Less than a minute in, the immersive soundscape takes over, with a haunting and captivating score by Mirjam Skal and Jonas Roulet. Heard throughout the film, the music never gets old and is engaging in a way that the audience has no control over – grabbing us by the hands and pulling us into the film. We don’t just watch the dancers – we hear them. Every breath and every footstep is enhanced through the sound design, making their effort and how much they are putting into their dance feel so tangible. The electrifying energy in the room is palpable, keeping our eyes locked on the screen from start to finish.

“No dancer was harmed in the making of this film, but every drop of sweat is 100% real!”

There is a recognisable thriller element to the film, as we begin to understand that something is wrong and we feel the confused fear of the dancers. By the time we reach the final performance, we watch from a unique vantage point: able to appreciate the show while knowing the disturbing reality behind it – all done “in the name of art.” The editing, by von Stumberg and Carmen Walker, perfectly plays with the score to foster both this sense of threat and the simultaneous adrenaline from executing the performance perfectly. 

The film’s compelling nature is also largely thanks to its cast. Although most of them do not have many lines, the dancers let their bodies speak all their emotions, expressing subtle nuances as they perform the choreography. “No dancer was harmed in the making of this film, but every drop of sweat is 100% real!” says von Stumberg, who also plays the choreographer in SYNCOPE – a fittingly meta turn given his own background in dance.