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| Zawe Aston as Joyce Vincent |
My hair's freshly washed, sealed with an olive/coconut oil combo and chunky twisted in prep for a night out tomorrow, for anyone who's interested ;).
To keep me company, and sometimes awake through my nocturnal hair styling sessions, I usually listen to the radio or watch a film, yesterday it was the turn of 'Dreams of a Life', a film I've been meaning to catch since last year.
In 2006 the body of a woman was found in her Wood Green flat. Sad yes, but nothing extraordinary there. But 38 year old Joyce Carol Vincent, whose friends described as vibrant attractive and popular, had lain undiscovered in her living room for up to three years; her TV, heating and lights still on, she was surrounded by Christmas presents. In that time no one had reported her missing and no one had come looking for her.
Dreams of a Life writer/director Carol Morley, pieces together the story of Joyce, a mysterious and enigmatic woman who people gravitated towards and yet few seemed to know. Interviews with her workmates, friends and former partners are cut with reconstructions of Joyce, played by Zawe Aston. It gradually brings to life a person who initially starts off as a faceless name, but a lot of questions where left unanswered.
It's hard to imagine someone becoming so invisible, at a time when it's supposedly easier than ever to stay connected to those around you. The story is made even more striking, because Joyce didn't fit the profile of someone who you thought might have died alone or been forgotten about. She wasn't elderly or reclusive or didn't not have any family or friends.
Dreams of a Life sounds like a really depressing night cap, but it was actually a compelling watch.
You can watch Dreams of a Life on 4 On Demand here. Sorry any non UK readers, the link won't work for you, but here's the trailer instead.
RIP Joyce.
Kanika x
Sounds like a good documentary. So sad though - and shocking too. Thanks for the review, I'll try and catch it. May have to steel myself and get a box of tissues 1st though!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I didn't cry but towards then end it was a bit touch and go. Maybe because I was doing my hair it distracted me a bit.
ReplyDeleteIt's really well made. The way the story's told, I started to feel as if Joyce could be a friend, because you're learning about her through the memories of people who knew her. I felt a mixture of feelings, not all sad though.
By the end I had a good idea of what happened to her but not why, and that for me was what left the an impression, particularly the last scene. Def check it out if you can, tissues might come in handy ;)
It's not uncommon for some women when they get into a relationship to unconsciously discard their friends and turn their focus onto their lives with their partner. Furthermore, Joyce was in domestically abusive and violent relationship so it's probable that (a) her abuser would have isolated her (b) treated her so badly that she felt embarressed about her family & friends seeing her.
ReplyDeleteFundamentally that is what is lacking in this documentary: The emphasis that Joyce was the victim of a domestically abusive relationship, serious enough to be rehoused in a secret location which is where she was when she met her untimely death. The documentary misleadingly poses questions of social alienation but never really confronts head on the cause in Joyce's case.