Parallel (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parallel
Parallel (film).jpg
Directed byIsaac Ezban
Written byScott Blaszak
Produced by
  • Garrick Dion
  • Matthias Mellinghaus
Starring
CinematographyKarim Hussain
Edited byBen Baudhuin
Music byEdy Lan
Production
company
Distributed byVertical Entertainment
Release date
  • April 10, 2018 (2018-04-10) (Brussels)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Parallel is a 2018 Canadian science fiction thriller film. The film stars Aml Ameen, Martin Wallström, Georgia King, Mark O'Brien and Alyssa Diaz.[1][2]

Plot[]

The film opens with an elderly couple in bed, upon hearing her dog crying the wife leaves her bedroom and goes to investigate. She finds her dog fine but when she goes to feed him she is killed by a masked intruder. The intruder removes her mask to reveal she is the wife. The intruder then redresses and returns to bed.

Next four friends (Aml Ameen as Devin, Martin Wallström as Noel, Georgia King as Leena and Mark O'Brien as Josh) are running a software startup. Devin and Noel are pitching to investors when they are given an impossible deadline. Their investors have met with a similar company which they like. The guys realise they have been betrayed by a programmer who they recently let go called Seth (). Devin and Noel return and give Leena and Josh the bad news. The foursome decide to drown their sorrows in the local bar. While there they learn that from the barmaid Carmen (Alyssa Diaz) that their home is rumoured to be haunted after the previous owner mysteriously disappeared.

The four go home and discuss if is possible to finish the app in the timeframe the investors gave them. They agree it cannot be done but Josh gets angry when Devin mentions that he is going to give up and just get a job. In the ensuing scuffle they damage the wall and uncover a hidden room. While exploring the attic they find a strange mirror, while messing around in the room Josh discovers the mirror is some form of portal. After Josh steps in and disappears the four get worried. He returns seconds later telling a fantastic story about a different world and how he was there for 15 minutes. Noel realises the mirror is a portal that connects to different universes. The four decide to use the mirror to slow down time so they can complete the app. With App complete they give it to their investors and then drive past Seth mocking him.

Over drinks the four discuss how they can use the portal to their advantage. Leena also uncovers the missing woman's diaries and learns her name was Marissa and that she lost her husband was using the mirror to reconnect with her deceased husband who wasn't deceased in another universe. Noel proposes to the group that they use the portal to steal ideas, Devin protests that this is what Seth did to them but loses the argument. He later performs an internet search on his father who we learn died after committing suicide due to a corruption scandal.

Josh starts to use the mirror seduce women, Leena uses it so she can copy great works of art and sell them off as her own, while Noel becomes a "visionary" reselling ideas for technology. All four of them become incredibly successful and wealthy overnight. At an event they are approached by a suspicious Seth. Josh intervenes after Seth gets angry and insults Devin about his father. Noel takes Devin through the mirror to another universe where they enter Seth's house. Noel destroys Seth's TV and Laptop before inviting Devin to beat up Seth. Devin refuses and makes them leave, he learns that Noel doesn't consider people in alternate universes to be real. Devin then goes through Marissa's diary and learns that Marissa lost her mind searching for her dead husband and he begins to grow concerned for Noel.

To cheer Devin up Josh takes him to an alternative world and in this world Josh manages to successfully chat up Carmen and bed her. Devin goes downstairs to listen to music but fails to hear Carmen's boyfriend returning, who proceeds to shoot Josh. Devin carries a mortally wounded Josh back to their world where he dies. The three panic about what to do reluctantly agree with Noel to kidnap and swap Josh from another world with the dead body.

The alternative Josh is drugged and wakes up in the new world seeing his three friends packing up. The three convince Josh that he got drunk and doesn't remember getting rich and getting hired into his dream job. Devin tries to find an alternative universe where his father is still alive. Noel continues to steal ideas from different worlds and starts to spy on Devin and Leena.

Later Devin and Leena grow intimate and share a night of passion. Devin though seemingly disappears in search of his father. Leena confronts Devin who shows her some amazing technical devices he has stolen from alternate universes. She then sneaks through the portal where she finds an alternate Devin who tells her that Noel launched a law suit for patents against him. Leena suspects Devin has killed the real Devin and leaves the alternate with Devin's phone.

Josh sneaks into the house and threatens Noel with a gun. Josh has become unhinged as he can't work out what is going on in his life. In a struggle with Noel his gun goes off badly wounding Noel. Just then another copy of Noel appears with a futuristic gun, he shoots Noel and Josh and the gun vaporises the bodies. Noel goes to Leena and tries to prove to her that he has always loved her, showing her evidence of the many alternate Leena he has met. Leena distracts Noel and grabs the futuristic gun but it fails to go off. She runs for the attic where the alt Devin appears, he fights with Noel throwing him into the mirror. Just as Noel steps back through Leena moves the mirror trapping him and slicing Noel in half.

Devin and Leena embrace and they dispose of the body and Leena smashes the mirror. The two leave to start a new life ending with an experience with a mirror in the restroom of a remote gas station.

Cast[]

Release[]

It premiered at the 2018 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.

Accolades[]

Award nominations
Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2019 Leo Awards Best Sound in a Motion Picture Bill Mellow, Jay Cheetham, Daniel Cardona, Kelly Cole, Shane Shemko, Elaine Stef, James Wallace Nominated
Best Visual Effects in a Motion Picture Barbara Jansen, Maxime Hacquin, Adele Jones, Vladimir Sofronov, Robert Habros Nominated
2021 Hawaii Film Critics Society Best Sci-Fi Film Parallel Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 21, 2020). "Vertical Entertainment Nabs Sci-Fi Thriller 'Parallel' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  2. ^ Sorg, Arley; Pearce, Josh (December 14, 2020). "Through a Mirror, Darkly: Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg Discuss Parallel". Locus Online.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""