Dreams of a Life

Last updated

Dreams of a Life
Dreams of a life.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Carol Morley
Written byCarol Morley
Produced by Cairo Cannon
Starring Zawe Ashton
Distributed by Dogwoof Pictures
Release date
  • 16 December 2011 (2011-12-16)(UK)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Ireland
LanguageEnglish
Box office£187,513 [1]

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.

Contents

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. [2] 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. [3]

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. [4]

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. [4] 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. [5]

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. [6]

Morley was criticised for an extended fictionalised sequence that featured Zawe Ashton as Joyce performing the song "A Smile is Just a Frown".[ citation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ]

Morley was also in contact with Joyce's four sisters, all of whom refused to be in the film. [7] 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. [8] On Metacritic the film has a score of 62% based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]

The Guardian described it as "empathic, brave, clever, haunting", [4] while The New York Times reflected on the frustrating nature of the story only half told. [6] The Telegraph described the film as a "tender, thoughtful and celebratory homage to Vincent's life". [10]

Steven Wilson's album Hand. Cannot. Erase. was inspired by his viewing of the film. [11]

Paloma Faith's song "Lost and Lonely" from the album The Architect was written and recorded in response to seeing Dreams of a Life. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Williams (animator)</span> Canadian-British animator (1933–2019)

Richard Edmund Williams was a Canadian-British animator, voice actor, and painter. A three-time Academy Award winner, he is best known as the animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) -- for which he won two Academy Awards -- and as the director of his unfinished feature film The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). His work on the short film A Christmas Carol (1971) earned him his first Academy Award. He was also a film title sequence designer and animator. Other works in this field include the title sequences for What's New Pussycat? (1965) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and title and linking sequences in The Charge of the Light Brigade and the intros of the eponymous cartoon feline for two of the later Pink Panther films. In 2002 he published The Animator's Survival Kit, an authoritative manual of animation methods and techniques, which has since been turned into a 16-DVD box set as well as an iOS app. From 2008 he worked as artist in residence at Aardman Animations in Bristol, and in 2015 he received both Oscar and BAFTA nominations in the best animated short category for his short film Prologue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnès Varda</span> French photographer, artist, film director and screenwriter (1928–2019)

Agnès Varda was a Belgian-born film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist with French and Greek origins.

<i>Ed</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Ed is an American comedy-drama television series that was co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions and Viacom Productions that aired on NBC from October 8, 2000, to February 6, 2004. The hour-long comedy drama starred Tom Cavanagh as Ed Stevens, Julie Bowen as his love interest Carol Vessey, Josh Randall as his friend Dr. Mike Burton, Jana Marie Hupp as Mike's wife Nancy, Lesley Boone as their friend Molly Hudson, and Justin Long as awkward high-school student Warren Cheswick. Other supporting cast members included Michael Genadry and Ginnifer Goodwin as Warren's friends Mark and Diane, and Michael Ian Black, Mike Starr, Rachel Cronin, and (later) Daryl Mitchell as the employees of Ed's bowling alley. Long term guest stars included John Slattery as Dennis Martino and Sabrina Lloyd as Frankie Hector. The show was created by executive producers Jon Beckerman and Rob Burnett. David Letterman is also credited as one of the show's executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex</span> 2003 single by Rachel Stevens

"Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex" is the debut single of English singer-songwriter Rachel Stevens. It was released on 15 September 2003 as the lead single from her debut solo album, Funky Dory. Originally written for Britney Spears, the song was produced by Swedish duo Bloodshy & Avant. The single is Stevens's most successful single to date, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It was the 22nd-best-selling single of 2003 in the United Kingdom and has sold over 284,000 copies in the UK as of September 2021. Worldwide, the single peaked at number two in Denmark and earned a gold certification in Norway, where it reached number five.

<i>The Gleaners and I</i> 2000 French film

The Gleaners and I is a 2000 French documentary film by Agnès Varda that features various kinds of gleaning. It screened out of competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, and later went on to win awards around the world. In a 2014 Sight & Sound poll, film critics voted The Gleaners and I the eighth best documentary film of all time. In 2016, the film appeared at No. 99 on BBC's list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century. The film was included for the first time in 2022 on the critics' poll of Sight and Sound's list of the greatest films of all time, at number 67.

"The Reach" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. First published in Yankee in 1981 under the title "Do the Dead Sing?", it was later collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a frequently anthologized short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. The story first appeared in the Fall 1966 edition of Epoch magazine. It was inspired by three Tucson, Arizona murders committed by Charles Schmid, which were profiled in Life magazine in an article written by Don Moser on March 4, 1966. Oates said that she dedicated the story to Bob Dylan because she was inspired to write it after listening to his song "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". The story was originally named "Death and the Maiden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zawe Ashton</span> British actress, playwright and narrator (born 1984)

Zawedde Emma Ashton is a British actress and playwright. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas Fresh Meat and Not Safe for Work, the Netflix horror thriller film Velvet Buzzsaw and for her portrayal of Joyce Carol Vincent in Dreams of a Life (2011). She also portrayed Dar-Benn in The Marvels (2023).

<i>One Hundred and One Nights</i> 1995 film

One Hundred and One Nights is a 1995 French comedy film directed by Agnès Varda. A light-hearted look at 100 years of commercial cinema, it celebrates in vision and sound favourite films from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the USA. It was entered into the 45th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>The Boy Friend</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Ken Russell

The Boy Friend is a 1971 British musical comedy film written and directed by Ken Russell, based on the 1953 musical of the same name by Sandy Wilson. The film stars Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, and Max Adrian, with an uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made extensive edits to the film for its American release. The missing material was restored and the film was re-released in 1987. The Boy Friend was released on DVD on 12 April 2011.

<i>La Pointe Courte</i> 1955 French film

La Pointe Courte is a 1955 French drama film directed by Agnès Varda. It has been cited by many critics as a forerunner of the French New Wave, with the historian Georges Sadoul calling it "truly the first film of the nouvelle vague". The film takes place in Sète in the south of France. The Pointe Courte is a tiny quarter of the town known as the fisherman's village.

<i>The Beaches of Agnès</i> 2008 French film

The Beaches of Agnès is a 2008 French documentary film directed by Agnès Varda. The film is an autobiographical essay where Varda revisits places from her past, reminisces about life and celebrates her 80th birthday on camera. Varda said it would most likely be her last film, but released the Oscar-nominated documentary Faces Places a decade later.

<i>Freaky Green Eyes</i> Novel by Joyce Carol Oates

Freaky Green Eyes (2003) is the third young adult fiction novel written by Joyce Carol Oates. The story follows the life of 15-year-old Francesca "Franky" Pierson as she reflects on the events leading to her mother's mysterious disappearance. Through what she calls Freaky's thoughts, Franky accepts the truth about her mother's disappearance and her father's hand in it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Morley</span> English film director

Carol Anne Morley is an English film director, screenwriter and producer. She is best known for her semi-documentary Dreams of a Life, released in 2011, about Joyce Carol Vincent, who died in her North London bedsit in 2003, but was not discovered until 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Vincent</span> British unsolved death

Joyce Carol Vincent was an English woman whose death went unnoticed for more than two years as her corpse lay undiscovered at her bedsit in north London. Prior to her death, she had cut off nearly all contact with those who knew her. She resigned from her job in 2001, and moved into a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Around the same time, she began to reduce contact with friends and family. She died sometime in December 2003. Her remains were discovered on 25 January 2006, with the cause of death believed to be either an asthma attack or complications from a recent peptic ulcer.

<i>Hand. Cannot. Erase.</i> 2015 studio album by Steven Wilson

Hand. Cannot. Erase. is the fourth solo studio album by English musician Steven Wilson. The album was released on 27 February 2015 through Kscope.

<i>My Friend Dahmer</i> (film) 2017 film

My Friend Dahmer is a 2017 American biographical psychological drama film written and directed by Marc Meyers about American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The film is based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same name by cartoonist John "Derf" Backderf, who had been friends with Dahmer in high school in the 1970s, until the time Dahmer began his killing spree in 1978. The film stars Ross Lynch as Dahmer, Alex Wolff as Derf, Dallas Roberts as Jeffrey's father, and Anne Heche as Jeffrey's mother.

<i>Faces Places</i> (film) 2017 film

Faces Places is a 2017 French documentary film directed by Agnès Varda and JR. It was screened out of competition at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival where it won the L'Œil d'or award. The film follows Varda and JR traveling around rural France, creating portraits of the people they come across. It was released on 28 June 2017 in France and 6 October 2017 in the United States. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards. The film was Varda's second-to-last work, preceding Varda by Agnès in 2019.

<i>Velvet Buzzsaw</i> 2019 film directed by Dan Gilroy

Velvet Buzzsaw is a 2019 American satirical black comedy horror film directed and written by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Zawe Ashton, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Daveed Diggs, Nitya Vidyasagar, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Billy Magnussen, Mig Macario, and John Malkovich. The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 27.

<i>Crossing the Border</i> (short story collection) Collection of short stories

Crossing the Border: Fifteen Tales is a collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates written while the author was residing in Canada. Published simultaneously by Vanguard Press in the United States and by Cage Publishing Company, Agincourt, Canada in 1976. The stories had appeared previously in different US and Canadian magazines, often in different versions. Seven of the stories, "Crossing the Border", "Hello Fine Day Isn’t It", "Natural Boundaries", "Customs", "The Scream", "An Incident in The Park", and "River Rising" depict conjugal life of an American couple, Reneé and Evan Maynard, in Canada. The characters in "The Transformation of Vincent Scoville" and "The Liberation of Jake Hanley" are instructors at the same Canadian college. The rest of the stories are not connected to each other.

References

  1. "Dreams of a Life (2012) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com.
  2. 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.
  3. "Dreams of a Life Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Walker, Peter. "The film that makes me cry: Dreams of a Life". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. Smith, D. "Carol Morley, Dreams of a Life" . Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 Holden, Stephen. "Lost to Her Friends, but There All the Time". The New York Times . Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. "Watch a video of 'Dreams of a Life' director Carol Morley chatting to filmmaker Kevin Macdonald" . Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  8. "Dreams of a Life (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  9. "Dreams of a Life" . Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  10. McNullty, Bernadette. "Dreams of a Life: interview with director Carol Morley". The Telegraph . Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  11. "Steven Wilson at Air Studios - Part 2: Concept and Inspiration - Steven Wilson". 4 November 2014.
  12. "Radio 4 interview with Richard Coles 16 May 2020". BBC.