Nicole Wegner’s documentary essay film Parallel Planes is something of a cross between road movie and diary novel, a journey of discovery into America’s music scene. Ian MacKaye (Minor reat, Fugazi), Michael Gira (Swans) and Valentine Falcon (Get Hustle) are just three of twelve protagonists who speak to Wegner about their visions of musical self-fulfilment beyond the logics of commercial exploitation. Their standpoints produce a tableau that finds its momentum not least of all in the director’s deep affinity to her subject and to the aesthetics of the music and concert videos. Like a thoughtfully compiled mixtape, Parallel Planes offers a comprehensive insight into the last four decades of subculture and music in the US.

»I wanted to make a film that shows there are people who simply feel this inner need to make music without thinking about selling it or appealing to target groups, who don’t work with the industry’s traditional means. I think nothing is further removed from music than the music industry – and nothing is further removed from art than the art market. Ian MacKaye summed it up so well in his interview: ›Music was a central part of life since the beginning. Somehow it has been consigned to be this very weird little entertainment device.‹«
– Nicole Wegner