Parallel Minds Review

September 12, 2020 at 4:23am
By Jason Stettner

Set in the future, and on the cusp of the Red Eye 2 this film follows a group trying to figure out just what happened in the murder of a head programmer. This special Red Eye 2 technology is a contact lens that brings buried memories back to the forefront of one’s mind. The mysteriously dead programmer situation causes a ripple effect. Part of this is where her close colleague Margo (Tommie-Amber Pirie) is shocked and goes looking for answers.

The second aspect of this is a detective, Thomas Elliot (Greg Bryk) who’s trying to do his job and search for reasoning behind this sudden death. From there it does become somewhat of a generic experience in regards to the general concept of where things head. I liked the idea of the memory sequences in this, they added a nice extra layering to what was going on.

I did find those to be slightly muddled however, and not quite clear in their direct impact to what was happening in the present. It created a bit of confusion, and could have filtered in better. I did find the visuals to be quite impressive here, in terms of how it was shot and the integration of futuristic elements. They were subtle, and used effectively in situations to help create the advanced setting. It was also cool to see the local city I reside in featured within this film.

I thought the acting was well done here. Pirie does certainly carry the majority of the experience with some stand out moments. In general, the individuals present here play interesting roles that all help in showcasing a grounded future. Again, they balanced out a futuristic style and help paint that picture well.

It’s a largely intimately shot experience, so things are presented in almost claustrophobic presentation at times. Don’t necessarily expect a whole lot of action, but definitely some intrigue and unique situations developed through the power of the mystical technology at play. I do wish they went a bit wilder with some of the what if situations considering the tech, they did keep it relatively constrained.

The Conclusion

Parallel Minds was an alright experience featuring a light sense of mystery and a neat usage of technology. I found the concept to be unique, yet at the same time it fell into some similar tropes that did make elements come across as slightly generic. It had some solid performances to it, with Pirie standing out within this one. I liked the blending of future tech with the current society, and that’s not an easy task at any level of filmmaking. It looked great with how it was presented, and the future style came across as grounded which is nice to see.

I would have liked it to either lean more into that mystery for a deeper thriller experience, or to have had leaned towards additional action. It seemed to play it too safe either way. I also found the memories to be interesting, yet perhaps not executed in the best way as the concept is fun for what they could have done with them. They definitely matter to the narrative in the film, just I felt the idea could have been pushed to a higher degree. Still, a fine watch and viewing experience.

Parallel Minds Review at Home with Streamed Viewing during Calgary Film Festival
Screening Provided by Calgary Film

Rating Overall: 6.0