In 2006 the skeleton of Joyce Vincent was found in her Wood Green flat, it had been there decomposing for three years. Shockingly the television was still on along with lights and heating, her electricity still connected after bills not being paid for a substantial time. The only reason the remains of Joyce were discovered was due to the housing trust repossessing the bedsit because no rent payments had been received. The door was broken down and the remains of Joyce were found on the living room floor with a pile of freshly wrapped Christmas presents next to her. How Joyce had lay there undiscovered for three years and who this mysterious 38 year old was is the basis of this documentary drama. No one reported her missing and no one seemed to miss her and neighbours did not think anything of the smell emanating from the flat. What kind of society do we live in where a person can pass away in their home and nobody notices for three years?
Perhaps the most shocking thing about this story is the fact that Joyce was beautiful and well-liked with a talent for singing and friends who cared about her. Filmmaker Carol Morley plays detective and manages to uncover some truths about Joyce by interviewing journalists, close friends, work colleagues and ex-boyfriends of Joyce’s in order to develop a detailed character profile. There is no involvement from Joyce’s family, she had four sisters, and it is never discovered what exactly happened between Joyce and her family to result in them not reporting her missing. As well as the talking heads Morley uses dramatization to illustrate Joyce’s life and help build up the profile. Morley utilises newspaper columns reporting the story and the camera shows the columns in close up. Real maps of London are also used to clarify the locations and show Vincent’s various homes all across London. We see real photographs of Joyce and the filmmaker’s mind-map of what she discovers during her investigation.
All these techniques help to paint a picture of the real Joyce but no certain conclusions are made and accounts appear contradictory. The more Morley uncovers the more of mystery Joyce becomes. This is a fascinating and extremely poignant story. Joyce’s friends speak of the different paths she could have taken and this certainly adds to the tragedy. Martin, an ex-boyfriend and apparently Joyce’s closest friend, tells of how she was probably the love of his life and others disclose about what a beautiful and vivacious lady she was. But there were obviously other things going on in Joyce’s life that she didn’t want people to know about and these things are never truly confirmed. The documentary makes suggestions and tries to give answers but none can really be given. However, it doesn’t really matter, what is important is that Joyce’s story is told and, as one person observes, perhaps it will make you think about your neighbour you haven’t seen for a bit or friends you haven’t seen for a while and make you get in touch with them.
Morley’s film obviously raises questions about society today but its main focus is on Joyce and the moving story is dealt with carefully, never glorifying or making a spectacle out of it. We see as the talking heads try to justify themselves not noticing her disappearance but it seems Joyce didn’t want to be found. From all points of view, that of Joyce’s (played brilliantly by Zawe Ashton), her friends and Morley’s this is a sad but important story that needs to be told, certainly a modern horror story. While aesthetically it could have been much more pleasing, Dreams of a Life still uses some interesting techniques and has the right balance of documentary and drama. The story on its own is shocking and Morley successfully captures this and the many layers of Joyce’s life without being gratuitous.
Morley does a great job of uncovering a part of who Joyce was, the inconclusive ending may not be to everyone’s liking but it is the truth. Much as this is an extremely moving story it is also an intriguing one and I was captivated by it. The mystery of Joyce will certainly remain with you for a long time after seeing this gripping documentary.
Dreams of a Life is in cinemas 16th December. All the cinemas showing the film are listed on its website www.dreamsofalife.com.
Director/Screenplay: Carol Morley
Cast: Zawe Ashton, Alix Luka-Cain
Runtime: 90 mins
Country: UK, Ireland
Film Rating: 
