Parallel (2016) – Movie Review

Do you ever wonder what would happen if your life turned out differently? Writer/main actor David Magowan’s Parallel (2016) shows the alternate dimension and more in this psychological drama. If you’re looking for classic horror, jump scares and monsters, this isn’t what you are looking for. If you’re looking for a more realistic, psychological, “Wow, this could really happen” kind of movie, strap yourselves in for 78 minutes.

Neil (David Magowan) meets Heather (Faye Sewell) at a party hosted by Heather’s boss, Anna (Melissa Veszi), and they hit it off. Heather runs into a medium named Machlis (Brian Carter) and she hires him to do a reading for them. Machlis isn’t your typical fortune teller as he doesn’t predict the future, read palms or talk to the dead. No, in a case of original thought by David Magowan, this medium shows a parallel dimension of how their alternate realities are playing out. Neil is still skeptical so Machlis does a viewing and shows Heather the alternate reality of how she met Neil, only she didn’t meet Neil, she met Roy (Daniel Westwood). The visions seem so real that Heather can’t stop thinking about it.

We then switch back and forth between our realm and the alternate dimension which director Ieva Makselyte shot the alternate in black and white to show the difference. Soon Neil is shown a vision of his alternate self where he meets Rihanna (Francesca Sgro) instead of Heather and that’s when the story picks up. Heather and Neil start seeing the other side more often which begins to distort reality for both of them.

Slow burn thrillers aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but they can get the job done and get the message across. Makselyte and Magowan went for the cerebral approach, using basic human desires to keep the viewer interested. Desire, lust, love, excitement, anger, sadness and heartbreak are all featured in Parallel. You can’t change the tapestry of your own life but basic human curiosity makes the appeal to see your alternate side that much more intoxicating. With all of the gory horror movies going around, this was a nice alternative to sit through. Some of the negatives are that the punching sound effects are missing, some looping sounds off and the ending was rather sudden. That’s just nitpicking though. There aren’t that many negatives when it comes to Parallel.

Writing:

Mangowan shoots and scores with this one. He created a story that was easy to follow and get into.

Directing:

This is more or less Makselyte’s debut and it went well.

Acting:

Solid all around. David Magowan and Faye Sewell had good chemistry but the real chemistry was Faye and Daniel Westwood. All their scenes in the alternate dimension are worth the price of viewing. Fransesca Sgro is gorgeous and she comes off as a complete bitch so awesomely that it makes you want to jump through the screen and strangle her. Brian Carter pulled off the mysterious role well and Melissa Veszi had little screen time but her character added to the story. The fact that there is an alternate dimension means the average critic can’t say, “Why is this character here and why do they matter?” because that’s the point of an alternate reality.

Score:

The score is pretty good. Some of the songs are real toe tappers.

One liners:

One of my favorite lines is when Heather says John is a medium and a skeptical Neil says, “I’m an extra large.”

Nudity:

Lots of T & A in this one plus a lot of shirtless men.

Gore:

Not much but what is shown is effective. There are a few clubbing blows to the head and a bit of blood.

Final Thoughts:

Can I recommend Parallel? Yes, as long as you know what you’re getting into. If you’re looking for classic horror you will be disappointed, but if you’re looking for psychological drama, check this one out. David Magowan managed to reel the viewers in with sex and small violence while catering to basic human curiosity. It worked tremendously. Parallel is only 76 minutes with 2 minutes of credits so it doesn’t drag on and on. Enjoy the movie.