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Dreams of a Life

United Kingdom, Ireland

2011

90 Min
Color
English
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
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DIR Carol Morley

EXEC Katherine Butler, Tabitha Jackson, Paul McGowan, Andre Singer

PROD Cairo Cannon, James Mitchell

SCR Carol Morley

DP Mary Farbrother, Lynda Hall

CAST Zawe Ashton, Alix Luka-Cain, Jonathan Harden, Daren Elliott Holmes, Ki'juan Whitton

ED Chris Wyatt

PROD DES Chris Richmond

MUSIC Barry Adamson

SOUND Christopher Wilson

London (New British Cinema), SXSW (Festival Favorites)

Synopsis

In 2006 a woman’s skeleton was found in a flat above Wood Green Shopping Centre, London. When the housing trust that owned the flat broke down the door and discovered her, they found the TV on, and the heating and lighting too. The woman, identified as Joyce Carol Vincent, had been dead for three years. Dreams of a Life is a quest to discover who Joyce Vincent was, and how she came to be so forgotten. Filmmaker Carol Morley (Edge, The Alcohol Years) set out to track down people who had known Joyce, and to piece together their recollections and versions of Joyce. Like a detective, Morley builds a multi-layered portrait of a woman who was attractive, lively and popular, but who also had an air of mystery, a secretive side. Using direct testimonies, dramatic reconstructions and glimpses of her own research, Morley draws us deep into Joyce’s world, albeit a world where some mysteries still remain. She also makes us think about what kind of society we live in, how someone could fall so completely out of view. This is a sad and intriguing story, told with imagination and care. –BFI

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suddenmoves

20Apr12

No one in this terribly sad documentary realised that our modern, disconnected life could have such tragic consequences. A powerful, moving cautionary tale.

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Bill Rosenfield

9Apr12

I found it overlong and with a bit too much reenactment material, and the surviving members of the family didn't cooperate so there is a sizable chunk of the story missing - and yet, the result is still unstettling and provacative.

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Garry Eunson

27Jan12

The tragic enigmatic story of Joyce Vincent. But was she lonely, or just alone? Looking through the platitudes about "the disconnected society", I though this was a touching evocation of those special times in our lives, and the people we shared them with. I thought it was a mistake reconstruct her childhood & should have been left in the shadows of the story I loved the final glimpse of the real Joyce at the end.

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vivwong

1Jan12

Is this film playing in the U.S. anytime soon? I live in NYC and I really want to see this.

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BFI London Film Festival 2011

By David Hudson on October 12, 2011

Here’s where we’ll be gathering news and reviews from this year’s edition.

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