Burning an Illusion

The film opens with a lively house party while Pat narrates in a diary-like voiceover, revealing her uncertainty about life at 22. The voiceover recurs at key moments, keeping her inner thoughts present without dominating every scene. The party atmosphere hints at possibility while underscoring her sense of aimlessness.

Sonya gives Pat and Del a lift home from the party, and Del uses the moment to obtain Pat's parents' phone number. He calls from Pat's home, inviting her on a date. The call foreshadows how closely he will begin to insinuate himself into Pat's life.

Pat and Del go to a restaurant for a date and share wine after the meal, though both admit they dislike the wine. They take a cab back to Pat's flat, and Del tries to be chivalrous by opening the taxi door. At the door, Pat refuses to invite him in, signaling her growing boundaries and hesitations.

Some time later, Del appears at Pat's door with a holdall after a dispute with his father, and he moves in with Pat. The living arrangement tightens around Pat as she shoulders domestic duties, and Del's expectations begin to grow. The dynamic foreshadows tougher tensions to come.

Del works as a machinist and faces a new racist foreman who singles him out. He becomes chronically late and eventually loses his job. He underestimates the job market, quickly realizing there are no machinist positions available.

Pat continues to iron Del's shirts, cook his meals, and rely on her wages to support him. Del starts treating the flat as his own space, inviting friends over to gamble and expecting Pat to serve them. Pat eventually refuses to tolerate the arrangement and throws Del's friends out.

Pat confronts Del about ending the relationship, but he resists and asserts that the flat is his. She points out that the flat is hers, triggering a violent blow when Del slaps her. In a moment of distress, Pat grabs a knife from the kitchen and Del leaves, leaving the apartment in a tense silence.

Some time after the breakup, Del spots Pat in town and they avoid each other until they meet again at a traffic island, where they renew their connection. They decide to meet again and drift through the streets, appearing like new lovers as they wander together.

Pat, Del, Sonya, Chamberlain, and friends attend a gig that stirs jealousy when Chamberlain notices Sonya talking to another man. He slaps and kicks Sonya, and others intervene to restrain him. The confrontation escalates when Chamberlain pulls a knife, prompting the police to arrive.

Del resists a plainclothes officer, pulls a knife, and slashes the officer's face. He is arrested, and the incident becomes the centerpiece of the charges that follow. The scene marks a turning point toward a harsh legal consequence.

Pat visits Del in prison, initially angry at the injustice but gradually drawn to reading. She sends him books she has been reading, including works about black people's condition in society. The exchanges sustain their connection despite the distance.

Del is not granted parole, and the judge explains that the harsh sentence is needed to deter violent disorder. Pat continues to support him from afar by sending books and letters. The ruling underscores the film's themes of punishment and systemic bias.

Pat is shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting and is hospitalized. The motive remains unclear, but the event shatters her fragile sense of safety. Her recovery adds another layer of uncertainty to her future ambitions.

Pat ends the film by burning the books she has collected, placing them in an incinerator and reflecting on how her life and dreams have changed completely. The act symbolizes the destruction of old possibilities and a hard-won realism about what lies ahead. The closing image leaves her facing an unknown, altered future.