2011 British film
| Dreams of a Life | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Carol Morley |
| Written by | Carol Morley |
| Produced by | Cairo Cannon |
| Starring | Zawe Ashton |
| Distributed by | Dogwoof Pictures |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £187,513 |
Dreams of a Life is a 2011 drama-documentary film, released by Dogwoof Pictures, directed by Carol Morley and starring Zawe Ashton as Joyce Carol Vincent, a London woman whose remains were discovered in her home in 2006, just over two years after she had died.
Plot
The film tells the story of Joyce Carol Vincent, whose skeletal remains were found in her flat in Wood Green, North London, in January 2006. Joyce was found surrounded by wrapped Christmas gifts and with her TV still switched on, having remained undiscovered since December 2003. Due to advanced decomposition, the cause of death was unable to be determined.
The film features interviews with various friends, acquaintances, former partners and individuals involved in the developing news story, including Vincent's MP, Lynne Featherstone, in an attempt to tell the story of Joyce, who is played in reconstructions by Ashton. Vincent's father is played by Cornell John.
The film confronts issues such as loneliness, even while living in one of the busiest cities, how loss of contact with family and friends can cause no one to notice a missing relative or friend, and how a body can go unnoticed in a room feet away from a busy street, without repercussions from unpaid rent and utilities.
Production
Director Carol Morley was inspired to make the documentary on Joyce's life after reading an article in a tabloid newspaper which she found discarded on the London Underground, which while describing Vincent failed to mention her age, race or any detailed information. She spent the next five years tracking down interviewees by taking out ads in newspapers, and hiring a cab to drive around London bearing a poster asking people to contact her if they knew Joyce.
She was surprised to learn that many of the respondents did not know Joyce was dead until she spoke to them even though some of them remembered hearing of her death when it was reported on in newspapers. One of the first respondents to Morley's advert was Martin, who features prominently in the film, an ex-partner and one-time close friend who was able to provide photographs for Morley. Martin then put her in touch with other friends, including an ex-landlord, ex-partner and friend who had recorded her singing in his studio.
Morley was criticised for an extended fictionalised sequence that featured Zawe Ashton as Joyce performing the song "A Smile is Just a Frown". She stated that she was inspired to keep the sequence in the film by a similar sequence in Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7 and also credited Varda's documentary work with inspiring much of her movie.
Morley was also in contact with Joyce's four sisters, all of whom refused to be in the film. Although they asked Morley not to make the film, she went ahead with production, but gave them an advance screening in order to show that she had been respectful in remembering their sister.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 76% based on 29 reviews. On Metacritic the film has a score of 62% based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The Guardian described it as "empathic, brave, clever, haunting", while The New York Times reflected on the frustrating nature of the story only half told. The Telegraph described the film as a "tender, thoughtful and celebratory homage to Vincent's life".
In popular culture
Steven Wilson's album Hand. Cannot. Erase. was inspired by his viewing of the film.
Paloma Faith's song "Lost and Lonely" from the album The Architect was written and recorded in response to seeing Dreams of a Life.
References
- "Dreams of a Life (2012) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com.
- Morley, Carol (9 October 2011). "Joyce Carol Vincent: How could this young woman lie dead and undiscovered for almost three years?". The Observer. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- "Dreams of a Life Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ Walker, Peter. "The film that makes me cry: Dreams of a Life". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- Smith, D. "Carol Morley, Dreams of a Life". Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Holden, Stephen. "Lost to Her Friends, but There All the Time". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- "Watch a video of 'Dreams of a Life' director Carol Morley chatting to filmmaker Kevin Macdonald". Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "Dreams of a Life (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- "Dreams of a Life". Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- McNullty, Bernadette. "Dreams of a Life: interview with director Carol Morley". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- "Steven Wilson at Air Studios - Part 2: Concept and Inspiration - Steven Wilson". 4 November 2014.
- "Radio 4 interview with Richard Coles 16 May 2020". BBC.
External links
- Official website
- "Did You Know Joyce Vincent". Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- Dreams of a Life at IMDb