Where most documentarians would rest on the laurels of a great subject and riveting present-tense drama, director Jeremiah Zagar has observed too much of his father's creative logic to cheat us with artless hagiography.
In a Dream (2009)
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:19
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: This tender tribute to an obscure artist's work is both compelling and visually striking.
Theatrical Release:Apr 10, 2009 Limited
Synopsis:
In the vibrant, bohemian neighborhood of South Philadelphia, 50,000-square feet of concrete are covered with tile and mirrors—mosaics that were created by Isaiah Zagar, an eccentric, tormented...
In the vibrant, bohemian neighborhood of South Philadelphia, 50,000-square feet of concrete are covered with tile and mirrors—mosaics that were created by Isaiah Zagar, an eccentric, tormented artist. The murals chronicle his love for his wife, Julia, and subtly hint at the darker corners of an extraordinary imagination.
Where Isaiah is obsessive and narcissistic—a former Peace Corps volunteer who has become an icon in South Philly's art community—Julia is gracious and warm. For decades, their opposing natures complemented one another perfectly. But suddenly the family is torn apart at the seams: A few hours before picking up his oldest son from a rehabilitation center, Isaiah confesses to an affair with his assistant, is kicked out of the house, and spirals into depression.
A fascinating portrait of love and betrayal, family bonds, and the intimacy of dysfunction. --© International Film Circuit
Starring: Isaiah Zagar, Julia Zagar, Jeremiah Zagar
Starring: Isaiah Zagar, Julia Zagar, Jeremiah Zagar
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Studio: Indipix
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Reviews for In a Dream
A captivating, honest and thoroughly engrossing documentary with plenty of wisdom, panache and stunning visuals.
Thanks to some amazing archival material...and a little bit of filmmaking as fate, In a Dream blooms and then blossoms.
An involving, sometimes painfully intimate piece that's as much about living with mental illness as it is about a rather remarkable artistic vision.
An unusual and compelling documentary portrait of an artist of dazzling and colorful murals.
Call it forgiveness or codependency, but this highly personal film speaks to all of us in the universal languages of art and love.
When it works, it's well. When it doesn't, it seems unfocused and nearly loses our interest.
Even in an era of 24-hour confessional TV, this look into complex emotions is gripping.
Because Jeremiah lacks the investigatory zeal to pursue the subplots, which also include his father's madness and his older brother's drug addiction, this lovely film is more evocative than illuminating.
A grand gesture, an exercise in epic biography that explodes the intimate details of Isaiah's life and its effects on his family onto the screen.
The film's elements hum into a glorious experience, with its narrative as captivating as its visualization.
Bursting with vivid home movies and loving appreciations of Isaiah’s artwork -- frenzied drawings and monumental mosaics in tile and mirror, many of which now beautify his Philadelphia neighborhood -- In a Dream abounds in visual pleasure.
What’s onscreen is vivid and compelling, but the film only seems to tell part of the story.
an artistic celebration of sorts -- with the emotional pain that can come with dedication, and maybe a little madness.
Easily one of the most 'personal' documentaries I've ever had the pleasure to see.
In a Dream captures a family imploding. Their lives are laid bare, in broken bits, like the ceramic that Isaiah uses for his art, and they come together in In a Dream with sadness and beauty, rage and insight.
The movie feels as if its creator is simply too close to his subject to cover all the angles; perhaps a director without blood bonds might have managed a less claustrophobic look at the clan.
Latest News for In a Dream
April 19, 2009:
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