The effects of dementia and mental illness are explored in the new sci-fi psychological drama PARALLAX.
Lucas (Nelson Ritthaler) and Naomi (Naomi Prentice) are engaged to be married and live together, however after a suicide attempt which is thwarted by Lucas, Naomi is diagnosed by doctors and appears to have been suffering from the early stages of dementia. However, when the tests come back negative, Lucas begins to question Naomi’s own reality as she attempts to escape through the medium of art.
Naomi then reveals to Lucas that by simply tapping into the colours of her paintings, she can escape to alternate realities, something Lucas is keen to question for the sake of her sanity and his. Things get even more complicated when during one of her visions, she ends up in the desert – and meets a mystery woman known simply as Mikayla (Hattie Smith).
Despite concerns from a psychiatrist, Naomi stuns Lucas at one point over dinner saying that she doesn’t recognise him and finds herself even more attached to the alternatives of visions of deserts, the beach and being underwater in a bottomless ocean based on her visions. One room in the house appears to be locked and off limits from Lucas, who appears to also be suffering from similar visions of doubt….
Intriguing if deliberately disjointed affair, questioning the very purpose of reality and whether – or not? – we are in the zone of reality when it comes to what we see and sense throughout our life journeys. Films like BRAINSTORM and INCEPTION have tapped into this realm previously and PARALLAX does maintain a sense of idealism and intent as Naomi begins to question her very state of mind as the film progresses.
Inevitably, because we are drawn into all manner of situations that seem to layer one reality onto another, it can be a challenge wondering who is who and what really is going on and like INCEPTION you will certainly be questioning your own sense of reality and sanity as the film moves forward in narrative. PARALLAX is clearly designed as a brain workout and like the best sci-fi offerings offers an interesting perspective on how and why we are the way we are.
Its’ contemporary setting does lend itself to a different kind of film, but on balance this is well worth a peek if you get the chance.
