Nothing Like Dreaming

A man fires up a propane torch. He sends its flame up tubes of metal. The raging heat produces resonant, ringing tones in a harmony of pure sound. Sonny Gale is a scavenger, outlaw and fire artist. He lives stealthily, in an abandoned factory at the edge of town, waiting for someone who never arrives. Into his life comes Emma.

Emma is at a crossroads, through with high school, not yet off to college. She is the strong one in her family, trying like many kids to keep her family together. Her mother, a folk singer, suffers from depression. Her father, a state legislator, seems more interested in a colleague than in his wife. Her best friend Lara, is a wild, fiery girl. She is the hot head to Emma's cool one. With their friends, they go to a party on the outskirts of town. The party is busted by the police. And then Lara leaves Emma's life forever.

Emma's life starts to unravel. To her father's dismay, she takes refuge with Sonny, and helps him build a mysterious Fire Organ. Played at night, with fires burning and pipes glowing, it produces haunting sounds that thrill and enchant. Sonny makes music soar from the fiery pipes and leads Emma on a journey to confront her feelings of grief and loss.

But to adults, fire is dangerous and Sonny has a history with the mental health folks. A confrontation with the police sends Sonny over the deep end. Emma finds a way to calm him and guide him back from the edge of madness. Meanwhile, the authorities have other plans for Sonny. Emma feels betrayed by the adults she once respected. She visits Sonny one last time and then takes control of her own destiny.

Production stills by Thomas Ames.