(Overture)
A young violinist struggles to assert her individuality amidst the intense pressure of her pianist father and the formidable weight of her own musical ability. Surreal images fill her interior life, and provide her with some escape, until she ultimately breaks free in reality.
Parallel Chords (Overture)
...is a restless love story between two musicians, inspired by the writer's relationship with her pianist father. The film captures a period of burning aspiration and teenage rebellion as Jaqueline Archer, a young violinist, struggles to break away from the control of her concert pianist father, Lawrence. The music that accompanies her life symbolizes the patriarchal code from which she must be freed; she must find her own voice.
Jaqueline's imagination is quite active, and surreal images fill her interior life. She uses the words from plays, particularly Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya", to escape the weight she feels from her father's growing needs and expectations. Once at the top of his game as a renowned international artist, Lawrence is now on a physical decline and fears losing his grasp on music, and his daughter. As Jaqueline approaches womanhood, she begins to yearn for something more than nightly practice with her father, though she worries for him deeply.
The classical music, which seems to signify a natural order and beauty, is in stark contrast to the emotional disarray within. On the night before an important competition, Jaqueline sneaks out to a party in the woods, but this choice puts her in danger. She puts the delicate balance of the family at risk.
After a climactic and challenging experience that cinematically merges the woods and competition together, Jaqueline finds there may be no way out. Lawrence shares that it's only just the beginning for them. Jaqueline escapes to NYC. The power of music, though it had a wonderful effect on her life as a child, turns destructive. Her vitality, will, and independence can no longer be suppressed by playing the music of dead, male composers. She leaves her past to find her future.
