In the summer of 2015, I scored the short film Synthia by Linh Ngo for the Denver 48 Hour Film Project. I recently condensed the music to create a short, stand-alone soundtrack for the film. Here is a synopsis of Synthia so you can read along while listening to the music (in the media player).

A father is playing on swings with his  daughter (in her late teens or early 20s) who is reluctant because she thinks she’s too old. We see that something is not quite right in the sky behind them. They are startled and turn around to see a giant alien spaceship. Flaming debris begins to fall around them as they run into the house. Once inside, the father starts packing as the daughter begs to know what’s going on. He only insists that they have to go, RIGHT NOW. She goes to pack some essentials, but on the way to her room, stops at a closed door that gives her a troubled feeling. She opens the door, and inside, there is a life-sized doll, missing an arm… with her face! As she is investigating it, her father interrupts her, telling her that she shouldn’t be in that room, but then he notices an alien creature outside the window, so he runs off. She follows, and when she gets to the kitchen, she comes face to face with the creature her father had seen outside. The creature studies her for a second, but then pushes past her to get to her father, who shoots it with a shotgun.

When we see them next, the father is wearing a white lab coat, and he is running diagnostics on his daughter, who is actually a replicant. When he is satisfied with her status, he permanently disables diagnostic mode and reboots her.

Her human personality returns, and she is confused, with only vague memories of the recent past. After a heartfelt moment between father and daughter, there is a huge explosion in the house that sends them running back outside where they are ambushed, and her father is fatally wounded. With his last bit of strength, he touches her face, looks into her eyes, and whispers, “save us.” As she cries over his body, we see that the distant sky is filled with a massive aerial battle of jets vs spaceships… and the spaceships are winning.