Parallel lives unite and form Catholic film company focused on trusting God’s plan
May 13, 2025
The movie poster for "Parallel: The Triad", a film produced by two men who met on a local ACTS retreat. (Photo courtesy of Trumpet & Thunder Motion Pictures)
HOUSTON — How do you go from going to an ACTS retreat to being a nominee at the largest faith-based film festival in the country?
For Jason Aleman and Michael Adams, the path was simple: Trust God’s plan. They met in connection with the St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church Men’s (M11) ACTS Retreat held in February 2020, when they were assigned as prayer partners.
Aleman, a parishioner at St. Matthias the Apostle Catholic Church in Magnolia, sought out Adams’ advice and consultation on “Parallel: Lyric’s Landing,” a script he started writing in 2015. The two followed their hearts and prayers and fostered this God-focused idea.
This chance encounter of two complete strangers ended up forming a motion picture studio and film production company.
“Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be involved in a motion picture film company,” Adams said. “When I agreed to go to the men’s retreat, I was seeking a deeper understanding and relationship with Jesus. I had been reading His Word my whole adult life; however, I just could not get it to sink in effectively.”
Adams, who attends St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, said he felt that, at the time, his mind, body and spirit were not aligned.
“Now, Jason and I are making Catholic films to disseminate the word, bring hope, introduce the holy trinity to the world and promote transcendent thinking towards ‘The Kingdom Come.’ There is, in fact, something better by trusting God’s plan and not your own,” he said.
“Parallel: The Triad” is the first full-length feature film produced under the banner of Trumpet & Thunder Motion Pictures.
“The sci-fi genre is important to us because it is designed to attract the attention of young adults — although there are super cool aspects within the movie for most ages,” Adams said.
Aleman said the film marks the beginning of a cinematic universe rooted in truth, hope and the reality of spiritual warfare.
“It’s the kickoff to a larger Christian sci-fi series we’re just getting started on,” he said.
Aleman said he grew up loving big, bold, high-stakes movies with action, adventure, heart and high-end production value. “‘Parallel: The Triad’ was born from that vision — a desire to give a growing audience the kind of faith-filled film that doesn’t hold back on excitement or quality,” he said. “At its core, it’s rooted in the timeless battle of good vs. evil — we’re just making sure those roles are clearly, and rightfully, assigned.”
“Parallel: The Triad” was selected as an Official Selection at the International Christian Film and Music Festival, held in Orlando from April 30 to May 3. The movie earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for actress Marley Aleman, daughter of Aleman, and also a nomination for Best Screenplay for Aleman.
The film follows Cyrus, a young hot rod mechanic, who tries to make sense of the surreal and perplexing situations he’s constantly encountering. He finds the answers he’s been searching for with the help of three souls sent to Earth to defend and protect God’s plan. The movie stars Chad Garrett, Lizzie Camp, Terry Weaver, Marley Aleman and a cameo from Father Norbert Maduzia, pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church.
Aleman said that, in a world that feels like a nonstop collision between good and evil, the core message they wanted to share was that Jesus Christ is always in control, even when it doesn’t make sense.
“The film encourages viewers to surrender, to lean into faith and to walk forward knowing that God is guiding every step — even the ones that feel like setbacks,” he said.
This message isn’t just woven into the script — Aleman said it was born out of their personal experiences. From powerful, specific answered prayers to life-altering moments that couldn’t be explained any other way, Aleman and Adams said they have lived out what it means to truly trust God’s plan.
“The film is a creative extension of that truth, brought to life through action, emotion, all wrapped up in sci-fi flair,” Aleman said. “We hope it resonates with anyone feeling lost, uncertain or just needing a reminder that God’s plan is always better than our own.”
Adams said the spiritual message is embedded in the film.
“While the audience is watching the cool sci-fi and special effects, we are disseminating His Word. We are hopefully teaching others,” he said. “Both Jason and I are interested in bringing ‘newcomers’ and ‘outliers’ to meet Jesus and attend the One True Church. Living your best life involves a personal alignment with the Church. Relying on your own resources is defective in and of itself. God loves us and He has a plan for each of us. Trust God’s plan. That’s the spiritual message.”
Both Adams and Aleman said they are using every creative gift God has given them as filmmakers, visual effects artists and storytellers to speak to a generation that’s being pulled in the wrong direction.
“The Parallel series is designed to be bold, imaginative and spiritually grounded — something that captures hearts and minds while planting seeds of truth,” Aleman said.
Next up for the duo is developing their next feature, “Parallel: Kirby & Westheimer.”
“Parallel: The Triad” is available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi. For more information on the company, visit parallelfilmsstudio.com.