Synchronicity (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The machine creates a wormhole by running twice. The first test creates one half of the tunnel, and the second test completes it. The process requires radioactive materials from KMC, and any mismanagement could cause a catastrophic explosion. During the first run, a genetically enhanced Dahlia flower came through the wormhole as proof of success.

Foreshadowing: The first test's gift of the Dahlia hints at the successful creation of the wormhole opening.

• time travel
• wormhole
• machine
• radioactive materials
• Dahlia

Abby initially approached Jim as part of a scheme to help Klaus Meisner gain control of the time travel project. She used her knowledge of the Dahlia flower to leverage more ownership from Jim, eventually reducing his share to just 1%. However, as she spent time with him, she genuinely developed feelings for him, which complicates her betrayal.

Foreshadowing: Chuck's warning that Abby cannot be trusted hints at her ulterior motives early in their relationship.

• Abby Ross
• betrayal
• Klaus Meisner
• manipulation

Jim Prime is the original version of Jim Beale from the original timeline. When Jim goes through the wormhole during the second test, he doesn't just travel back in time, he enters a parallel universe. The second run Jim is a duplicate that coexists with Jim Prime in this shifted reality. Both versions cannot exist in the same universe without consequences.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of discrepancies in Abby's journal confirms Jim has crossed into a parallel universe, not just time.

• Jim Prime
• parallel universe
• double
• timeline

Jim experiences physical ailments whenever he's near Jim Prime because two versions of the same person cannot coexist in the same universe. The parallel universe cannot sustain both versions simultaneously, causing the second run Jim to deteriorate when in proximity to his original self.

Foreshadowing: The increasing physical ailments directly correlate with Jim's attempts to stay near Jim Prime.

• physical symptoms
• coexistence
• parallel universe
• sickness

During the second test, Jim is hurled back one week into the past to the moment of the first test. However, he has actually entered a parallel universe. The second test seals his tragic fate, he vanishes while Jim Prime remains. The empty chair at the Grand Hotel serves as a haunting reminder of his loss.

Foreshadowing: Jim's defiant declaration 'You may own the Dahlia, but you don't own me' foreshadows his desperate attempt to reclaim control.

• second test
• fate
• disappearance
• wormhole

The Dahlia flower is a genetically enhanced flower that came through the wormhole during the first test. It serves as proof that the time travel experiment worked. The flower becomes the center of the corporate dispute, Klaus Meisner wants ownership of it, and Abby uses her knowledge of the flower to manipulate Jim into giving up ownership of the project.

Foreshadowing: The Dahlia appears as a gift from the wormhole, establishing its importance early in the film.

• Dahlia
• flower
• proof
• ownership
• wormhole

At the end, Abby encounters a stranger in the café who resembles Jim Prime, her former muse. This suggests a new beginning and hints that the repercussions of time travel continue to ripple through the parallel universes. The encounter implies that timelines are intertwining again, offering a bittersweet glimmer of hope amid the loss of Jim.

Foreshadowing: The empty chair at the Grand Hotel symbolizes Jim's absence, while the stranger's appearance suggests fate is creating new connections.

• Abby
• ending
• Jim Prime
• stranger
• new beginning

When Jim examines Abby's journal, he discovers perplexing discrepancies that confirm he hasn't simply traveled back in time, he's traversed into a parallel universe. The journal contains a fictionalized account of him, which Abby created after discovering an article about his research. This discovery is crucial in helping Jim understand the nature of his situation.

Foreshadowing: Abby's intimate knowledge of Jim before meeting him hints at her research into his work prior to their encounter.

• journal
• discrepancies
• parallel universe
• timeline

Klaus Meisner owns KMC, the company that supplies the radioactive materials necessary for the time travel machine. He wants a significant share of ownership because the project is incredibly valuable and potentially revolutionary. During negotiations, he demands 50% ownership but settles for 49%. His pursuit of control drives much of the corporate conflict in the film.

Foreshadowing: Meisner's control over the radioactive materials gives him leverage in negotiations from the beginning.

• Klaus Meisner
• ownership
• KMC
• radioactive materials
• venture capitalist

Abby's betrayal was not born of malice but was a calculated move to secure more radioactive materials for the time travel experiment. She sacrificed Jim's life in the process to obtain what was needed for the second test. However, she genuinely developed feelings for him, making her betrayal both strategic and emotionally complex.

Foreshadowing: The revelation at the Grand Hotel connects Abby's actions to her ultimate goal of obtaining materials for the experiment.

• betrayal
• radioactive materials
• sacrifice
• calculated move