Ralph and the Mysterious Stranger

As deep as the ideas explored in “The Illusion of Life” were, there were also very surreal ideas brainstormed during the conceptual phase of the film that were originally going to play a large role in the first act of the story. Back then the film was not known as “The Illusion of Life” but as “The Apocalypse of Ralph”, in reference to the main character’s name in the story and to the illusions experienced in frightening dreams. The image you see above was to follow right after we see Ralph asleep in the bedroom. There was going to be a character by the name of The Mysterious Stranger who would offer the young man a chance to see what his world was really like beyond the walls around him. He would give him an apple and ask him the question, "Tell me young man, what does it take to become truly human?" To live forever in ignorant bliss, or to discover the reality that is the illusion of life." I intended the scene to be a nod to the story of Adam and Eve and the philosophical concept of whether humanity is better to have knowledge rather than be ignorant of the situation around…kind of like “Paradise Lost” if you will. At the time the whole first act would have centered on the interaction between these two figures which then transitioned to the dream portion of the film. As time went on I realized that while I loved the whole idea of the scene and the philosophical questions it posed to the audience the scene was really not gelling well with the rest of the film. In fact it seemed unnecessary superfluous to what the film was trying to tell…in which a young man travels through the phantasmagorical visuals of his mind as he searches for an answer that proves to be elusive. Ultimately I cut the scene out of the film and what remains in the final cut is Ralph sleeping in the bedroom. But it was not a total loss by any means, as it allowed me to explore the potential of where the storyline might lead in the film.