Dreams of a Life

The beginning didn't impress me, there's a great hook but it starts pretty quickly with reenactments that I never got fully comfortable with. Thankfully, the heart of the film is the interviews, and the very smart editing used to contrast them. They're all talking about this dead woman, but what they're really doing is revealing themselves in what kind of things leave impressions on them and what they value or highlight. It's wonderful as that kind of socio-psychological exploration.

There's a lot left unsaid in this sensitive portrayal of a truly modern tragedy. Gripping though, and it sticks with you...

The talking heads ranged from fascinating to banal. Infuriatingly there seemed to be many missed threads to the 'investigation'. The dramatizations with the lovely Ms Ashton defused these rages though and made it all a little haunting.

Top badass moment? Being forced to admit this is probably how I’ll end up. Actually I’m quite comfortable with that; why would I want a load of people to be miserable just because I’m dead? That seems very selfish and egotistical, and it saves me the hassle of bothering with people whilst I’m alive, too. It's a shame some people refused to be involved in this, as it leaves the viewer with a somewhat incomplete picture. A very melancholy watching experience. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.

There's lots to like about this. The sad enigma that was Joyce Vincent's life and death makes for compelling viewing and it's structured pretty well. But on the other hand the dramatised segments didn't really work for me, feeling too disconnected and failing to represent Vincent as a real human being. Some of the talking head contributors were real dicks too.

Very interesting documentary about an unknown woman, found dead 3 years later after she died. The doc focusses on her life and the people who knew her, unraveling and colouring in the person she was. Really interesting

Terrific investigation of a woman who was an enigma, even to her friends. The way the mystery unfolds is gripping throughout the film, and this is one case where the dramatisation really adds to the depth of the story. The last shot is incredible too.

Very interesting and thought provoking documentry/re-telling of events leading to one human tragedy.

I must say, she found very little of any real interest. This is a wonderful idea for a film, but it never gets anywhere close to saying anything about the film's central mysteries. Why did her own family not miss her? Why did none of the neighbor's notice? The flock of really self-involved people who seem dazzled by being on camera really have nothing to add. Perhaps it's just true that we'll never really know, but it doesn't take an hour and a half to conclude this.