Here is a sequence breakdown for Nightingale: SQ1: The Reality of Death. From the opening scene in which Peter confesses killing his mother through his new life without her around, rounded out by having to go into the room where the murder occurred so Peter can retrieve his bloody glasses. SQ2: The Outside World: Peter unsuccessfully reaches out to his friend Edward, receives a package his mother ordered before her death (the three-piece mirror), goes through a tirade of voice mails to Edward, gets an upsetting letter from his mother's friend Lillian, types a response to another of his mother's friends Charlane. SQ3: Peter and Edward: Peter finally reaches Edward who agrees to come to Peter's house for dinner on Friday, Peter starts to prepare the house for Edward's arrival by cleaning it up including the disposal of his mother's body, then explains how he and Edward met in the military, alluding to some sort of misunderstanding between them. SQ4: The Big Day: Peter prepares for Edward's arrival, but Edward never shows up, leading him to conclude that he and Edward will be together, either in this world or the next. SQ5: Suicide Attempt: Hectored by numerous phone calls inquiring about his mother and depressed from Edward's rejection, Peter attempts suicide. It doesn't take. SQ6: Fate Beckons: People closing in on him, Peter prepares himself for a final battle as the police appear outside, ready to break into the house and arrest Peter. Armed with a rifle, Peter waits for them. The first half of the story finds Peter in a generally Upbeat Mode. This extends into the second half until it is clear Edward isn't showing up. The rest of the movie is about Peter's descent toward an inevitable death. We can look at these movements as Illusion / Reality. But how real is it? How much of this exists within Peter's mind and how much represents actual events in the real world? This is a great question which plays out in such a way that we don't really know the answer.