Resynator (2024)

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  ScreenZealots

  5 / 10

  The casual nature of director Alison Tavel’s documentary “Resynator” fits like a familiar glove, making it the perfect style for such a highly personal story. This is a film that starts out with one goal in mind but midway through, takes an unexpected detour that’s surprising, sad, and cathartic to the filmmaker and her family.
  
  When Tavel unearths the Resynator, a revolutionary synthesizer invented in the 1970s by her late father Don, she decides to continue his mission to share it with the world. His device is a game changer for musicians, as it has the potential to track the pitch of instruments that range from a low bass to a high piccolo. Along with the synthesizer, she digs up a lot more than she ever expected.
  
  Alison had a great childhood. She was lucky to have a loving mother and a dad who doted on his little girl. But beneath the happy family photos was a darkness that Alison never knew was there. During the filming of her documentary, she finds out that her dad wasn’t the perfect figure that she’s always been led to believe. Armed with the determination to perform her own extensive research (including rummaging through previously buried family documents and interviews with Don’s best friends and relatives), Alison uncovers a much darker side to her dad’s story.
  
  The documentary seems somewhat too personal at times, so much so that it’s difficult to stay engaged until the real substance of the story is revealed. Tavel first goes through the history of the musical device, and it feels educational and dry. But as she uncovers more and more about her dad, the film turns into a genuinely heartfelt and sincere family portrait of a daughter who realizes she never really knew her father.
  
  The documentary may not tackle the most interesting story, but it takes Tavel through a course of painful memories that eventually lifts a heavy emotional weight from the young woman’s shoulders. The journey may be arduous, but it all feels worth it when the film hits its final note. “Resynator” concludes with a lovely sentiment, as Tavel finds a way to keep her father’s memory and project alive.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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