Narrative Treatment Time and space are like night and day. They represent two distinct notions that both compliment and negate each other. As real as the sun and the stars, space and time face another relative instance, the imagination. That’s exactly what Benjamin stumbles across in “Illusions of the Mind” A short film about a forsaken traveler who embarks on a mystical and powerful journey through the elements of thought. Beginning in the middle, Benjamin is found dazed and confused about his presence in the alley. How did he get there? Where was he? As he steps into a shaft of light to soak up the warmth of the sun, a sudden flashback fills him with insight. In strobes of light and dark, still images of a forgotten past slice through his mind’s eye. Clips of raging flames, sweaty palms, and a smoky room fill his eyes with tiny glimpses of a forgotten world. A place in which lies a clue to Ben’s whereabouts and misconnection. Appearing as delusions, Ben is forced to settle his recoil, gather his nerve, and slowly steps back into the light. By doing so a second time, Ben’s mind is captured in a calming state of euphoria. He is now trancelike with a mild expression of disbelief and empathy. While seeing short clips of two of Ben’s close friends, there is something is familiar about this scene… Where are these vivid illusions coming from? What are their significants? And how did Ben end up in the Alley? Sill enthralled by his repressed memories, Ben’s mind starts focusing on the scenes playing before his eyes. There’s a shot of a room, small and quaint, filled with smoke and noise. Red lights, black lights, and occasional sparks fill the atmosphere with a stony feel. Still disconnected from his mind, Ben’s view drifts around the room and uncovers himself, casually sitting in a circle, with two of his friends. What are they doing? He still can’t remember. Suddenly his train of thought is thrown off by a passerby. “Get some clothes on freak!” What’s that? “Oh man, where the fuck?” Ben shouts out as he realizes that he IS naked! Embarrassed by the fact that he’s nude, Ben stumbles back into the shadows and contemplates his next move. Although he wants to step back into the light to ‘see’ what else he can uncover, the fact that he could get arrested presents more of an immediate threat. So Ben, naked as day, streaks across the street to a nearby tailoring shop. He barters with the owner and becomes the lucky recipient of an old pair of trousers and a dirty sweater. As Ben steps back out into the outside world, one of his friends stops him in the middle of the street. “What happened to you last night man?” asked Joe. “The last think I remembered was you flipping out and runnin’ out the door. You musta been totally fried!” Joe began to laugh as he visualized the sight of Ben, doing that funny chicken dance, and whirling around like a crazed lunatic. [All of which are seen by the viewer] “To tell you the truth” Ben begins, “I hardly remember anything from last night. How the fuck did I end up here in the Ally with no clothes on?!?” The puzzled look on Ben’s face started to make Joe laugh even harder. “You mean you don’t remember smokin’ those bowls and eatin’ those shrooms… Man, you musta got fucked up.” Once again Joe cracks up over the thought of last night’s episode. “Damn you make me laugh kid.” “Last time I hang out with you, dick.” Ben said and stormed off. While Ben attempts to find his way home, small flickering images of last night flash before Ben’s eyes. “Damn… I musta been messed up last night…” he thought. Ben suddenly runs across his really good-looking friend Samantha in a familiar part of town. “Hey Ben,” she smiles, “Anytime you want to do that again, just give me a call. You were great.” “Well,” Ben thought, “I musta done something right last night…”