SYNCED

In honor of National Caregiver’s Day (February 20), The Stroke Foundation and Remedy Edge (formerly Patients & Purpose and DDB Health) announced the premiere of SYNCED – a 9-minute short film that spotlights the isolation and emotional strain felt by stroke survivors and their caregivers. In the film, an experimental bracelet allows a stroke survivor to share their thoughts and feelings. According to the Stroke Foundation, stroke affects nearly 800,000 Americans annually, and an estimated 53 million people provide unpaid care to loved ones.
The film follows a daughter in her late twenties who has become the unplanned primary caregiver to her mother. As the daughter navigates the frustration and isolation of caregiving, technology becomes the critical bridge that helps them relate to each other and communicate.
SYNCED was deliberately crafted to feel like a lost film from the 1980s, shot in the era’s signature 4:3 aspect ratio and brought to life with period-accurate music and props. The experience is retro, until viewers notice the “Synced” bracelets. These unique idealistic devices allow a stroke survivor with limited speech to share her thoughts, feelings and memories directly into her daughter’s mind. At its heart, SYNCED is a love story about what we lose when a stroke changes someone we love—and what it takes to find each other again.
The film showcases unspoken love a daughter has for her mother as she cares for her. Its deep focus is also on the appreciation a parent has for a child caring for them, even if the parent cannot say it herself. Director Ilaria Serantoni said, “The aesthetic of this film—the repetition, the texture, the silence—that's what caregiving can feel like. We wanted to honor that truth visually."
The film arrives at a critical time. “As the caregiving crisis grows in America, the system is still not built to support caregivers and stroke is one of the clearest examples,” said Tyler Maxson, Group Creative Director, Remedy Edge. “SYNCED is about the quiet seismic shift that happens inside a relationship after a life-changing health incident. The technology is fictional, but the emotional barriers caregivers and stroke survivors and their caregivers face are not.”
By grounding the story in empathy, the film hopes to spark conversations about access, equity and the support caregivers need.
“This film speaks to something timeless and unmistakable: a daughter’s love for her mother and the extraordinary people who show up every day for someone else,” said Florencia Rago, Executive Director of The Stroke Foundation. “As someone who has supported my mother through stroke recovery, creating this film was deeply personal for me.”
Featuring standout performances from Fran Greene and Glory Gonzalez, SYNCED reminds us that love exists in frequencies that transcend language. You just have to know how to tune in.
Visit SyncedFilm.com to watch and share the film and to learn how you can help support caregivers in need via a donation to The Stroke Foundation.