MovieChat Forums > Dreams of a Life (2012) Discussion > An amazing film

An amazing film

posted 12 years ago by PoppyTransfusion
7 replies | jump to latest

A brilliant concept fusing documentary with reconstructed biography, much of which is based on the documentary interviews, combined with the real life detective investigation into the subject of the film. These different elements combined well.

An incredibly poignant film that left me slightly breathless and tearful. At one point during the film we hear Joyce's speaking voice and it's disconcerting to hear the voice of the dead woman. As one of those interviewed remarked hearing it reminded them she had been alive and vibrant, full of life. Joyce also sings the ending song Tell Me that is brittle with heartache. Her recording of this just shadows her life as it is reconstructed within the film.

10/10 from me and if this is released on DVD I will buy it. I'm hoping that if it is released there will be a 'making of' extra.

Should anyone who made or participated in the film happen along here, thank you for a brave and innovative film. I'm glad it received enough funding to make and be distributed and thanks for your efforts, especially if you were one of Joyce's friends/associates who agreed to be interviewed.

An hour isn't an hour but a little bit of eternity in our hands

[–] TheSummer2012 12 years ago

Completely agree.

A fantastic piece of film making and incredibly well-made.

I found that interview with the director, which is quite interesting:

http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1409

[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

Thanks for posting the interview. It's interesting to read that Morley saw some parallels in her life with Joyce. I think Morley achieved this:

My aim, ultimately, was to create a fairly complex portrait and sometimes if you follow a line too closely it might diminish that portrait. I never wanted to solve Joyce. I never wanted to close her down. People seem to have different rationales about what happened with her, and I’m pleased about that.

Joyce is still an enigma at the end and I enjoyed turning over various ideas about what happened to her along the way that made her so withdrawn. I really liked the actress who played Joyce. I wonder how well she captured Joyce to those who knew Joyce.

A woman can be any shape she wants.
What about a hexagon?

[–] imrama2002 12 years ago

The woman, who plays the part of Joyce, did a very good job of portraying this lonely soul.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

Hi SSD,

Her family were mentioned superficially and you see fictional enactments of her child years with her 3 older sisters, mother - before she died - and father. None of her remaining family wanted to participate with the film. Perhaps it would have trawled through too much for them.

I think the story is more poignant for us the living. That people die around us and we are oblivious to their deaths because we were oblivious to them in life. Joyce had a mixed life so I hesitate to describe it as a happy one but at least there were people who wanted to help reconstruct her life for Carol Morley. The article you post is a reminder that Joyce's death was not an isolated phenomenon.

I hope you get to see it another time and watch it to its conclusion.

To say a little often is to tell more than to say a great deal.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] andyd-1 9 years ago

padded out waffle that seems to be possible with just about anything if the makers have the skill.

I've just watched a 'compelling' documentary about a chav punching a cyclist, nothing much more happened but they made a talking head format doc on it. I kid you not