This quote prefaces Moment in Time, preparing us for the subjective truths of our storyteller / protagonist, Vincent. In his debut film, writer/director Robert Orlando leads the audience on a voyage through the tunnels of the psyche, blurring the edge between reality and imagination.

Vincent (Neil Maffin,) a writer, introduces his tale with an anecdote of his childhood train set and the doomed love of its travelers. A plastic man and woman can never reach one another, glued hopelessly to opposite sides of the tracks. "This is my own personal myth," he offers, as the toy engine melts beautifully into the modern rails of New York and Vincent becomes the traveler in the realm of his own dreams. He meets his unattainable childhood fantasy beneath the marbled arches of Grand Central Station: the ethereal Angela, portrayed with enigmatic subtlety by Annica Bejhed. She speaks with a slight accent and seemingly glows with white light, as if other-worldly. Angela moves into Vincent's home in legendary Sleepy Hollow, where their brief love affair seems more a beatific reverie than an existence. It is no surprise when this mysterious angel disappears from Vincent's life, leaving him alone surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights and an antique radio playing "Oh, Holy Night."

Two years later, Vincent still struggles with the story he's been writing all his life. His current girlfriend Katherine (Annika Peterson) is uncomfortable in her role, and asks him to write a new ending with a new character, one which gives him a second chance at love. Vincent, however, is still haunted by Angela's memory; in fact, her ghost materializes whenever he begins to draw closer to Katherine.

Vincent's visions of the fair spirit overshadowing dark-haired Katherine establish a duality reminiscent of Hitchcock's Vertigo - the dream girl versus the actual. This "doppelganger" theme continues with Vincent's other persona embodied by his student Drew (Greg Haberny,) a tormented but gifted youth. The two are polar opposites: Drew's self-destructive tendencies prevent him from reaching his potential, whereas Vincent envies the boy's passion, as he has lost his own zest for writing. Orlando juxtaposes these conflicting spirits in a cyclical struggle. Though Vincent strives to find an ending, the past continually calls and tempts him. Using marvelously understated symbolism, Orlando hints at this oscillation with the boomerang on Vincent's wall.

Orlando's visual cues and cinematography evoke a delicious unease. He represents Time's intangibility with handless clocks. Certain objects and areas of mystery (the door in the bookstore, his bedroom, both Angela's and Katherine's clothing) appear in seductive red hues. We often spy into Vincent's world from a God's-eye viewpoint, fly-on-the-wall perspective, or through an off-kilter Dutch angle. At times, the compositions are intensely subjective and bring us close to the image, especially as we delve deeper into Vincent's surreality.

The film's simple elegance belies its low budget, exemplifying what a strong script and vision can accomplish. Robert Orlando captivates with his metaphorical exploration of the human journey. This new auteur shows promise for the future of independent filmmaking.

Smart and riveting, the award-winning film MOMENT IN TIME follows a man whose world comes apart when the memory of his lost love returns to haunt him. With a style that echoes David Lynch yet is uniquely his own, writer-director Robert Orlando scores an impressive debut. Featuring award-winning performances by up-and-coming actors Neil Maffin (THIRTEENTH WARRIOR), Annika Peterson (NO SUCH THING, SAM THE MAN) and Annica Bejhed (QUEENIE IN LOVE), this intelligent love story re-imagines the boundaries between past and present, fantasy and reality, and even film and audience.

The setting switches between New York and gothic Sleepy Hollow, but the story is really located in the human psyche. By fusing together the shadowy visuals and claustrophobic feel of film noir with the psychoanalytic writings of C.G. Jung, Orlando's created a genre all his own. "I call it the memory genre," he says. "One story moves forward and the second moves back. Characters come to learn of emotions that emerge from the past and begin to dominate the present."

Struggling writer Vincent tries to start a new life in New York, but he's haunted by the past. His beautiful girlfriend Angela rejected his marriage proposal and suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night. When Vincent thinks he catches sight of Angela, he risks more than his relationship with new girlfriend Katherine. Are his visions of Angela real? Or is his desire to rewrite his painful past with Angela causing him to lose touch with reality?

The answer in part lies with the audience. Just as Vincent relies on his readers to learn his truth, so does the film invite its viewers to decide for themselves. Hypnotic and handsomely-filmed, this psychological drama establishes Orlando as a filmmaker to watch and makes for one unforgettable Moment in Time.