The Dreamlife of Angels (1998)
"La vie rêvée des anges" (original title)

In Lille, two penniless young women with few prospects become friends. Isa moves in with Marie, who's flat-sitting for a mother and child in hospital in comas following a car crash. Isa is ... See full summary »

Director:

Erick Zonca

Writers:

Erick Zonca, Roger Bohbot,

Stars:

Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Grégoire Colin

17 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Élodie Bouchez	...	Isabelle 'Isa' Tostin
Natacha Régnier	...	Marie Thomas
Grégoire Colin	...	Chriss
Patrick Mercado	...	Charly
Jo Prestia	...	Fredo
Francine Massenhave	...	La gardienne
Zivko Niklevski	...	Le patron Yougoslave
Murielle Colvez	...	Le chef d'atelier
Lyazid Ouelhadj	...	Le vendeur de billets
Frédérique Hazard	...	La mère de Marie
Jean-Michel Lemayeux	...	L'interne
Louise Motte	...	Sandrine Val
Rosa Maria	...	La première infirmière
Corinne Masiero	...	La femme du Hollywood
Xavier Denamur	...	L'homme des patins

Storyline

In Lille, two penniless young women with few prospects become friends. Isa moves in with Marie, who's flat-sitting for a mother and child in hospital in comas following a car crash. Isa is out-going, unskilled, with hopes of moving south to warmer climes. Marie usually is either angry or detached. Then, while Isa begins to visit the child in whose flat they live, going to hospital to read to her, Marie slowly falls for a rich youth. At first Marie keeps him at bay, then she not only pursues him, she begins to dream he is her life's love. When Isa tries to warn Marie, their friendship flounders. How will Marie handle the inevitable? And once they lose the flat, where will they go?

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | coma | friend | dream | friendship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 September 1998 (France)

Also Known As:

The Daydreams of Angels

Filming Locations:

Evéché, Lille, Nord, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$59,333 (USA) (2 April 1999)

Gross:

$1,726,187 (USA) (30 July 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Diaphana Films, Les Productions Bagheera, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Isa: I'd like to see you when you realize that you need other people.
Marie Thomas: I'll send you a photo.

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Connections

Referenced in High Fidelity (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Metal Postcard"
Written by Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin,
John McKay & Kenny Morris
Performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Courtesy of Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

simple but great

Dreamlife Of Angels best exemplifies why I enjoy foreign films. It is not dependent on "star" power, computer generated images, overt violence, or scenes with fantastic stunts. What it has are characters which are richly developed, believable, showing emotions which are palpable and for whom we can care. What we find out here is simple is sometimes best. The plot is the life and death of a friendship. It is an interesting character study of two poor, young women. One is outgoing and carefree while the other has been abused is more withdrawn and insecure. The set is a small, very plain town in France which was filmed simply and often with hand held cameras. The performances by Elodie Bouchez (Isa) and Natacha Regnier (Marie) in the title characters were outstanding. Gregorie Colin (Chris) as the boyfriend, club owner, and heel was great as well. The film as also provides food for thought in its title especially considering the last few scenes. I'll let you make those conclusions. If you don't get to see this film in the theater, rent it. Caution: the film's rating is due to a rather explicit sex scene. Three plus stars!!!