On the eve of the Iraq War, teenager Mark Swift dreams of escape from the realities of his lower-class existence in Youngstown, Ohio, and the fear and bewilderment of a society at war.

A filmmaker continues shooting his film after his funding is pulled - a grim reality he has kept secret from his cast. His mind awash in the noise of memory and morphine, he reflects on his own life through the characters in his script. The story is told with highly stylistic vignettes projected in the black void of his mind, bringing to life each of the characters he has created on paper. "Phantom Images" explores the new challenges confronting gay men - and the cultural changes that have made communication between generations more difficult.

In this faux docu-reimagining of the mass emigration through America's Ellis Island at the turn of the century, a young immigrant leaves the Old Country and ventures to America to compete in the annual Miss Ellis Island Beauty Pageant in the hopes of winning a wealthy American husband and gaining acceptance in the golden land of opportunity.