Dreams of a Life2012
Dreams of a Life (2012)
Dreams of a Life Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Joyce

as Young Joyce

as Mother
as Father

as Sister

as Sister

as Sister

as Sister

as Bailiff

as Housing Officer

as Caretaker

as Cleaner

as Cleaner

as Cleaner

as Young Boy

as Strippogram

as Studio Engineer

as Musician

as Dancer

as Dancer

as Dancer

as Dancer

as Dancer

as Dancer

as Woman in Pub

as Refuge Worker

as Nurse
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Critic Reviews for Dreams of a Life
All Critics (26) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (7)
Somewhere at the bottom of this story is an ache about the value of a life.
Its holes or omissions cannot diminish the gaping eloquence of the situation and the questions that arise.

Dreams of a Life unintentionally amounts to a mean-spirited snooze.
For all its subtext about identity and London's social fabric, "Dreams of a Life" leaves too many blanks and is ultimately more frustrating than rewarding.
A riveting tale of a onetime vivacious personality, described by those who knew her as "stunning," "lovely," and "very well liked," but who nevertheless died alone, friendless and seemingly missed by nobody.

Director Morley has at least restored something of a soul to her subject.
Audience Reviews for Dreams of a Life
Powerful, enigmatic and moving exploration of s life largely unknown but still celebrated, and mourned. It will make you want to reconnect with family and friends you may have list touch with.
Super Reviewer
"Dreams of a Life" is an artfully made and haunting documentary about Joyce Vincent whose body was found in her London bedsit(if Wikipedia is to be believed, it's the English equivalent of an SRO) three years after she died, and only because she was about to be evicted for non-payment of rent. While her remains were only idenitifiable through dental records and so badly gone no cause of death could possibly be found, it is the sort of case that is a pipe dream for tabloid reporters. At the same time, the local MP wants answers and filmmaker Carol Morley puts ads in the newspapers to get in touch with former friends and loved ones.(Joyce's older sisters refused to particpate out of privacy for the family.) Through interviews, Morley fills in the gaps of Joyce's timeline, along with faint glimpses of Joyce herself, through a snippet of her voice and a stunning final image. Joyce's death comes as something of a surprise considering she was only 38.(For the record, her mother was 41 when she died.) But with all the information given and theories floated, the one I don't recall having been given is the possibility that she might have been using drugs. Not to stereotype any more than absolutely necessary, but Joyce tried to get into the music business where musicians have been known to on occasion use drugs. This also might explain her fall from grace and frequent job changes which she tried to hide from her friends with her carefree manner.

Super Reviewer
A terrible documentary, loaded with tacky recreations and lasting three times too long for the paltry amount of material available about the main issue (a woman who mysteriously died and went undiscovered in her apartment for three years). Instead of forensics, we're forced to sit through interview after interview establishing that the deceased woman was beautiful and was "fancied" by many suitors. Great. Thrilling. Too bad there wasn't time for even one legitimate photograph of the death site.
Super Reviewer
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