

18 minutes. One loop. Zero exits. Your sanity? Also trapped.
For multiple times Saman finds himself involved in something that he has no escape from ...
Direction
Chegini wrings maximum dread from 18 minutes
Writing
Time-loop mechanics that actually punish the protagonist
Acting
Momivand's escalating panic is uncomfortably real

Director
Erfan Chegini
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Iranian cinema's tight restrictions on content paradoxically fuel creative tension—Syncope's temporal prison mirrors real creative constraints.
The entire film was reportedly shot in a single apartment location over one weekend, with the time-loop structure born from budget necessity.