Short Film Review — "Synonymous With"

Synonymous With hit me on a few different levels, which is why it’s taken me a while since writer/director Thom Hilton sent it to me to frame my feelings…

I have a fraught relationship with film and filmmaking. I started this blog after parting ways with the production world. I spent six years making movies, most of it paid. The first year or so, I actually lost money working as an unpaid production assistant—an exploitative practice that I hope is on its way out. Networking opportunities do not pay the rent, but that’s how dedicated I was to making “making movie” my life. Then I started getting checks for my efforts and eventually joined the IATSE, but it honestly didn’t get much easier for a slew of reasons I won’t divulge here that ultimately led to me turning my back on my dreams.

The work was tiring and it was demanding. It took a toll on my mind and body. I had almost no social life outside of it. And I had to put up with a ton of horrible, borderline abusive bosses. But, nevertheless, the work itself, the final product was nearly always worth it. At the end of the day, I truly felt happy doing what I was doing. But now that I’m completely severed from that line of work, I don’t know what I am anymore.

I can still say I love the motion pictures, though—with an asterisks.

The torn admiration I feel for film I saw reflected in Remy Germinario’s performance. Germinario plays Syn, a former local television horror movie host being interviewed by an off-screen documentarian. His melancholy is not altogether dissimilar from mine. Reminiscing about “Synister Synema with Myster Synonymous” brings out something in Syn, emotions that could be described as complexly mixed to say the least. I go into a comparable state whenever people ask me about my experiences, or whether I want to return to production.

Hilton constructs the film in a manner that highlights Germinario’s performance. We first meet Syn “in character” as his on-TV persona, then a hard cut introduces us the “real” man, a juxtaposition technique Hilton employs a few times to great effect. The Myster Synonymous side of Germinario’s delivery is magnificently camp with just a glint of pathos behind the eyes. Outside the studio, we get a glummer and more vulnerable version of Syn who now works at a bank—which is not a shameful job whatsoever, but it doesn’t quite fulfill him. I know a thing or two about this, having just recently broken free from a Walgreens pharmacy, a place I never saw myself clocking in and out of.

You know what’s funny… when I look back on my childhood and recall how I pictured my life in the movie industry going, I didn’t envision myself meticulously redressing a set after an actor had flipped a table or quickly mopping up fake blood after a character had gone on a gory rampage (both things I’ve done multiple times). No, what I’d picture was myself on camera, breaking down the significance of something on one of those VH1 or Bravo pop culture programs—I Love the 90s, 100 Scariest Movie Moments, etc. I wanted to introduce people to cinema in the way the faces from those specials did for me.

Talking heads are of course still around, but the “horror host” is a bit of a dying breed, and that’s sad. Thankfully, Shudder has kept the occupation alive with the continuation of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, although I can understand why some queer horror fans pledge zero allegiance to him, given the questionable opinions he has voiced over the years. And Shudder has just put on an Elvira anniversary special! Plus, if I may throw some love to my home city, Cleveland currently has Leopold and Lenora of The Big Bad B-Movie Show on the local CW station. So, there’s certainly a craving for such personalities.

I’d love to add to the horror genre in such a way, too. Sometimes when I’m sitting at my desk at my day gig (as I’m doing right now, shhhh) and feeling like I’m accomplishing nothing worthwhile with my life anymore, I remember that I have plenty of contributions streaming on various platforms. And I have this blog that, like, 40 people look at a week. But, hey, if I’m able to convince just one person to watch an indie gem they may not have otherwise heard of, then I guess I’ve done some good.

That’s a message I needed to hear, so thank you to the filmmakers.

Sorry for making this review so much about me, but this short had me in my feelings for a time. Thom Hilton’s work here is deceptively intricate. His influence is subtle, but he definitely has an authorial hand. Hilton knows how to let pieces come together organically, and that in turn amplifies his actor’s craft so the aforementioned message lands in a non-cheesy fashion.

I’ve watched Synonymously With twice. My first viewing was very affecting for sure, and it managed to play even better upon re-watch, particularly the nuances in Remy Germinario’s multifaceted performance. I personally recognize the balancing act of blueness, triumph, loneliness, and presentation he paints his character with. To be honest, I want to be friends with Syn, someone who keeps his VHS cassette of The Way We Were stacked between horror classics like Ghoulies III and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. He also has fantastic taste in sweaters, and his décor choices are on point—that Myster Synonymous set is chef’s kiss!