Dreams of a Life (2011)

A filmmaker sets out to discover the life of Joyce Vincent, who died in her bedsit in North London in 2003. Her body wasn't discovered for three years, and newspaper reports offered few details of her life - not even a photograph.

Director:

Carol Morley

Writer:

Carol Morley

Stars:

Zawe Ashton, Alix Luka-Cain, Alistair Abrahams

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zawe Ashton	...	Joyce Vincent
Alix Luka-Cain	...	Young Joyce
Alistair Abrahams	...	Himself
Mandy Allen	...	Herself
Prue Almond	...	Herself
Kim Bacon	...	Herself
Daniel Roberts	...	Himself
William Barthorpe	...	Himself
Alison Campsie	...	Herself
Catherine Clarke	...	Herself
Michael Davies	...	Himself
Alton Edwards	...	Himself
Jerome Everette	...	Himself
Lynne Featherstone	...	Herself (as Lynne Featherstone MP)
David Gibbs	...	Himself

Storyline

A filmmaker sets out to discover the life of Joyce Vincent, who died in her bedsit in North London in 2003. Her body wasn't discovered for three years, and newspaper reports offered few details of her life - not even a photograph.

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Plot Keywords:

newspaper article | english | nelson mandela | black woman | mixed race | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oneira mias zois

Filming Locations:

Hannaywood Studios - 347 Bannow Road, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$3,085 (USA) (3 August 2012)

Gross:

$6,595 (USA) (10 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon and Morley Productions, Irish Film Board, Soho Moon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the police forensics team begin looking around Joyce's flat, at one point her television is seen, on top of which is a statue of a women, appearing to be made of wood. Later on in the film, when Joyce's friends begin discussing her mother, they speak over a flashback of her mother and Joyce as a young girl, the same statue can be seen on a mantelpiece in the background.

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Soundtracks

"Undone"
Written & Performed by Alice Temple

User Reviews

An interesting concept but just too long.

Carol Morley has come up with a really interesting idea.

She's written and directed a documentary about the mysterious death of a beautiful West Indian 39 year old girl (Joyce Vincent) who was a major hit with the lads "People said she was as good looking as Whitney Houston; I thought she was more attractive than that." and had hundreds of friends and admirers and a huge family to boot; four sisters.

The film is not so much about how she died but the fact that it took three years for her body to be discovered. In her flat. Watching her TV which was still on.

No Electricity company shut her utilities off; the council never chased the rent; no one complained about the smell; none of her friends visited; none of doting ex's; none of her family. Nobody.

Carol Morley builds a documentary mixing dramatised re-enactments of her life and "Touching the Void" type real life storytelling to get closer to the truth than the police ever did.

It's a fascinating idea and in places nicely shot with some interesting music (although hardly a career high for ex-Magazine bassist Barry Adamson).

Why then is it so unengaging emotionally? Why do we not really care about poor Joyce Vincent? I think because the story is dragged 30 – 40 minutes past is tell by date. It's just far too long.

It's a shame because I really wanted to like it and applaud almost everything about it; including the fact that it was funded (in part by the Irish Film Board!?) and the incredible detective work that Carol Morley did to unearth so many of the people in Joyce Vincent's life when the police found not one of them.

In the end, it just makes the police look ridiculous.

And poor old Martin, the bachelor who lost the love of his life.

Bless him.