The new sci-fi thriller Parallel is the first project produced by Hodge Brothers Productions, led by Aldis and Edwin Hodge.
The film is an adaptation of the 2019 Chinese film Parallel Forest. In the mentally taxing flick, Aldis portrays Alex, who joins his wife Vanessa (Danielle Deadwyler) and brother Martel (Edwin Hodge) at the family’s lake house.
Vanessa and Alex are grieving the loss of their child and trying to find their way back to common ground. With hopes of finding peace, they soon realize this trip will lead to something different. While walking in the woods, Vanessa is attacked by a version of herself from what seems to be an alternate universe.
After experiencing the glitch, Vanessa tries to convince her husband and brother-in-law that multiverses exist — all while trying to decipher if she’s in her reality or trapped behind parallel gates.
Kourosh Ahari directs Parallel, while Edwin and Aldis also took on co-writing the film along with Jonathan Keasey.
The brothers recently opened up to Blavity’s Shadow and Act about the importance of Black narratives in sci-fi.
“You know, we wanted to make sure we told the story that we identified with. A story anybody could identify with, that we felt it in our heart and our soul,” Edwin said.
While the film centers on the actions of the three characters, their different dynamics take the audience on a ride of emotions.
Aldis echoed his brother’s statement, emphasizing how the audience views the story through Vanessa’s eyes.
“There was something really grounded about what was going on in her world and her mind, the danger there, the stakes. But there was a great deal of empathy that was sneaking or underneath the surface,” he said.
Edwin also mentioned that their intentional approach to rewriting the film included having Danielle assist with developing her character to voice a mother’s, and woman’s, pain correctly.
Parallel pushes familiar sci-fi boundaries with mental thriller elements that offer a fresh perspective and compelling performances elevate it above the rest.
Aldis expressed leaving the viewers without a “direct answer” as a fun way to play on the audience’s perspective.
“There’s no certainty of what is, what is or not, so it’s kind of left up to you.”
The movie weaves in topics such as family trauma, marital issues, therapy, loss and more. Although not uncommon tropes in film, strong Black characters in sci-fi settings rarely get to tackle those performances — something that the Hodge brothers are looking to change.
“You know, let’s tell the stories of our Black doctors and our Black inventors and the men and women who really lost their lives to make this country great,” Edwin said.
He continued, “Let’s tell stories of innovation and wonderment and give our community another way of thinking about themselves and how they would like to make life choices. To present a world where we can feel like we interact, and it’s not looked at as abnormal or if we’re in the way. We’re creative, and we’re grounded, and we can do everything anybody else is doing. We’re just going to do it a little bit differently.”
The brothers have a knack for portraying strong characters that defy traditional stereotypes. Edwin returns as FBI agent Ray Cannon Jr. on CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted, and Aldis held down the role of computer hacker Alec Hardison on the TNT series Leverage, and its spinoff, Leverage: Redemption on Prime Video.
“I am very methodical when it comes to that,” Aldis said when asked about his method of choosing roles.
He continued, “The thing is, I have a huge compulsion to aim for different nuances. I do not want to play the same role twice. I don’t want to play similar roles the same way. I’m always looking for something different. … Every job is an opportunity to learn, stretch and grow.”
Edwin’s approach is fueled by representation.
“I just I wanted to represent the Black man,” he said. “I wanted to represent the Black image, just differently, and so I made very specific choices in my career,” he said.
Parallel is currently available in select theaters and on-demand.
