"You Have to Adjust the Sails to the Winds": Graham Parkes on Wishful Thinking

"After a visit to a strange couples therapy summit unlocks a power in them that neither of them knew they had, they'll find that they can now manifest wonderfully positive outcomes or tragically painful ones-it just depends on how they're feeling about their relationship. If things are going great, the world will reflect that. But if something is not going so great? Everyone best buckle up for the destruction they may bring."

"While Charlie and Julie have their own aspirations for themselves, they're still doing all they can to make their relationship work. Both of them have agency over their destinies just as they also fall prey to their own suffocating anxieties, deep desires, and often diverging natures."

"Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It's been the subject of some of the best films ever made for good reason, as it's something that can grab hold of not just your desires, but your very soul as you search for meaning in a life where it can otherwise be lacking."

Wishful Thinking, filmmaker Graham Parkes' feature debut, explores a couple named Charlie and Julie living in Portland, Oregon whose relationship gains the ability to alter reality. After attending an unusual couples therapy summit, they discover they can manifest either wonderfully positive or tragically painful outcomes depending on their emotional connection. When their relationship thrives, the world reflects that positivity; when conflict arises, destruction follows. The film examines how both characters maintain individual agency while struggling with anxieties, desires, and differing natures. Using lo-fi science fiction elements and split-screen techniques, the narrative delves into their efforts to sustain their relationship as the stakes become literally universal. The film won the top Narrative Feature Prize at SXSW.

Read at Filmmaker Magazine