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Dreams of a Life

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United Kingdom, Ireland · 2011
1h 35m
Director Carol Morley
Starring Zawe Ashton, Alix Luka-Cain, Cornell John, Neelam Bakshi
Genre Documentary, Drama

Joyce Carol Vincent's remains were discovered in her North London apartment in 2006 -- nearly three years after her death, the circumstances of which are unknown. Who was Joyce? How did her death go undiscovered for so long? This drama-documentary hybrid follows one filmmaker's quest to answer those long-unanswered questions.

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What are critics saying?

90

Variety by

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.

63

Slant Magazine by Andrew Schenker

Dreams of a Life succeeds in making its point about the unkowability of the people in our lives, but there isn't quite enough substance here to fully sustain the film.

80

The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore

Carol Morley's sadly fascinating Dreams of a Life, which plays like a more artful cousin to TV's true-crime documentaries, slowly assembles a portrait of Vincent, unfolding in a way that should earn fans in its niche theatrical run.

50

Village Voice by Michael Atkinson

Left with barely any there there, Morley compensates with long reenactments starring look-alike Zawe Ashton that are never quite convincing but instead suck more air out of the haunting vacuum left behind in Vincent's wake.

80

Empire by Patrick Peters

This barely conceivable story of neglect and loneliness is given heartbreaking new life by Morley, with Zawe Ashton standing in effectively for the tragic young singer.

80

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

Dreams of a Life is a painful film, a Christmas film with no feelgood message, but one which I think would in fact have interested Charles Dickens. Watching it is an almost claustrophobic experience, but a very powerful and moving one.

50

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

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.

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