Sensations

Sensations: Coming-of-Age drama, supernatural adventure, and love story inspired by Native American Folklore and Greek Mythology

Tone: Wonder Woman meets Romancing the Stone

Logline: An American Indian teenage girl discovers four mystical elements that embody the essence of the earth’s elements (water, air, earth, and fire), which are embodied in four, egg-shaped, phenomenon (the Sensations) and tucked away in the side of a mountain, which she takes removes and then loses the ‘Fire’ Sensation, catapulting her on a perilous journey to save the earth and mankind from total destruction.

Overview: In this story, the energy and elements of the planet are literally embodied in these four ‘sensations’, which are the mystical representations of a fragile planet. When Harmony takes these elements from their resting place to share with her blind, shaman grandmother, she understands that these phenomemon are the soul of the earth’s essential elements. The soul of this story illuminates that even if and when we can successfully ‘balance’ the physicality of our planet, it’s still not enough for mankind to survive. The energy and essence of compassion must become the next essential and defining element that we need to save the planet and ourselves, equally as important as earth, air, water, and fire.

Synopsis: Harmony (17, American Indian) is in awe of the earth’s elements when she discovers them tucked away in the side of a mountain where she has gone to find some alabaster stones for Spider. Each energetic, mystical "egg" embodies the power of its element, which is accompanied by a specific sound or vibration. The BLUE embodies the essence of water and can heal anyone or anything instantly. The YELLOW embodies air and can give flight to anyone holding it. The GREEN embraces the power of the earth and love, showing its power with the ability to grow and flourish instantly. The RED contains the essence of fire and embodies our instinct for survival, along with industry, weaponry, and technology, which are also means of potential destruction. She shares the first three sensations with Spider who is in awe and has been chanting/meditating over a white egg every morning for as long as she can remember, which is about the same size as the other sensations. Since the RED is is too hot to touch, she doesn’t hand it to her and doesn’t tell her when it’s stolen. Instead, she joins forces with a friend, Adam (18 - charismatic quarterback, enamored with Harmony) and together they meet the ruler of the ‘Upper World” (YEBATSAI) who implores them to go to the Underworld to retrieve the Red, which is the only way to re-balance the earth and save the planet and mankind from complete destruction.

Harmony and Adam take a frightening and unpredictable journey through the caves on the outskirts of White Sands Monument and descend through the layers of hell through slime and quicksand and monsters and other surprises until they finally reach Hades at the center, but can’t reclaim the Fire because they can’t touch it or transport it. Hades is a darkly comedic character, evil and amused, he demands that they bring him the other three other elements, which would give him total control over the planet. They understand that the only way to transport the Fire is to surround it with the Blue, Yellow, and Green sensations, but to bring those anywhere near him would jeopardize the planet forever. They return to their world and attend to Spider who has agreed to stay at the clinic while they were gone since she is old and unwell. Harmony has seen Yebitsai one more time and has been instructed to create another bowl with Spider since the first one got damaged when it was removed the first time. Spider is an accomplished potter, so Harmony ‘imprints’ the dimensions of the bowl in her hands and together with Spider, they recreate it since the bowl can’t leave the mountain.

Harmony leaves for the second journey without Adam, but with a special gift from Yebitsai, a crystal that hangs around her neck and emits sunlight. Adam steals the other three elements and reassures Spider that he will follow Harmony to hell to protect her. Spider gifts him some powerful seeds, which he wears in a pouch around his neck. After many challenging situations they have separately and together, they finally find one another, confront and eventually defeat Hades using the power of the elements and their two special gifts. The sensations give them the power to rise up out of the Underworld.

In the climactic moment, Harmony, Adam, and Spider travel up the mountain to meet Yebitsai with a new bowl that Spider and Harmony created together. However, it’s too big to balance the four elements, so Spider adds a pure white egg of the same size. Yebitsai understands and agrees. Before they can return to the sky, Hades rises up from the underworld and battles Yebitsai for control of the elements. Yebitsai ultimately defeats Hades, but Spider’s body falls into an opening to the Underworld. Harmony saved the earth and mankind, but may have lost Spider’s spirit to the Underworld. In the final scene, Yebitsai visits Harmony months later and lets her hold Spider’s white egg one last time, which contains the essence of her spirit and is now another essential element in the delicate balance, COMPASSION, equally as essential to mankind’s survival as earth, water, air, and fire.