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Dreams of a Life

 Dreams of a Life
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TVTItem
 Dreams of a Life
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Dreams of a Life
 Dreams of a Life
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DreamsOfALife
 Dreams of a Life
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Dreams of a Life is a 2011 British documentary film by director Carol Morley.It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Joyce Carol Vincent (portrayed by Zawe Ashton), who died alone in her London flat in 2003. Despite having plenty of friends and family, somehow, her body remained undiscovered for three years. It was found next to a shopping bag and surrounded by wrapped Christmas presents that were undelivered. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, Joyce's cause of death was never determined.Morley was inspired to make the documentary after reading a newspaper article that presented the facts of the case but lacked details as to who Joyce was. Tracking down interviewees to learn more about the woman behind the headline, Morley was surprised to find that many of them didn't even know Joyce was dead until they were informed by her. Having lost touch with her, they just assumed she "was off somewhere having a better life than they were".The documentary raises the unnerving possibility that anyone could find themselves in a situation where they might die alone and unnoticed as Joyce did.See also Hand. Cannot. Erase., a Progressive Rock album inspired by Joyce's life.
 Dreams of a Life
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2024-04-06T06:45:23Z
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2024-04-06T06:45:23Z
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DBTropes
 Dreams of a Life / int_119f77c0
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Snowy Screen of Death
 Dreams of a Life / int_119f77c0
comment
Snowy Screen of Death: On the end title card, the title of the documentary is in block capitals and filled with a static effect. Joyce had her TV on at the time of her death, and it continued playing for the next three years to an empty apartment.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_4e3d253b
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Downer Ending
 Dreams of a Life / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: The documentary ends with a recreation of the night of Joyce's death. Though it has shed some light on who she was and how she may have come to die in the lonely way she did, there are plenty of questions left that in all likelihood will never be answered.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_58dd1c53
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Cobweb of Disuse
 Dreams of a Life / int_58dd1c53
comment
Cobweb of Disuse: The opening includes shots of Joyce's abandoned, dirty apartment with her things covered in layers of cobwebs.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_590eb583
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Domestic Abuse
 Dreams of a Life / int_590eb583
comment
Domestic Abuse: It is believed that Joyce was in hiding from an abusive boyfriend at the time of her death.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_5a1912af
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The Hermit
 Dreams of a Life / int_5a1912af
comment
The Hermit: Joyce was apparently alone by choice. According to her ex-boyfriend Alistair, "Joyce died alone because she wanted to be alone."
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 Dreams of a Life / int_66dfe36a
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Missing Mom
 Dreams of a Life / int_66dfe36a
comment
Missing Mom: Joyce's mother died when she was 11, which is believed to have contributed to her troubled state.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_6d0a1b85
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The Shut-In
 Dreams of a Life / int_6d0a1b85
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The Shut-In: Joyce became this in the final years of her life, separating herself from friends and family.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_7f0f19e5
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I Coulda Been a Contender!
 Dreams of a Life / int_7f0f19e5
comment
I Coulda Been a Contender!: Joyce was a beautiful and ambitious woman who dreamed of becoming a singer and wanted to go places, and even met famous people like Nelson Mandela and Stevie Wonder. The thing she would became most famous for was dying alone in her apartment and not being found for three years.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_87e4c9a2
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Used to Be More Social
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Used to Be More Social: In the last years of her life, Joyce isolated herself from those who knew her. It is speculated that this may have been because she felt ashamed due to having had to move into a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_96a33f11
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Riddle for the Ages
 Dreams of a Life / int_96a33f11
comment
Riddle for the Ages: Because Joyce was so reclusive, there are a lot of questions about her life that will probably never be answered, like why she cut herself off from everyone, and who she was wrapping Christmas presents for when she died. The cause of Joyce's death will forever remain a mystery, due to how badly decomposed her body was when it was finally found, although it is believed that she may have died from complications relating to asthma or a peptic ulcer.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_ca38a864
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Book on the Head
 Dreams of a Life / int_ca38a864
comment
Book on the Head: Young Joyce is seen walking and reciting while balancing a book on her head, as someone talks about how her mother sent her to elocution lessons to appear more upper-class.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_cdfe12c3
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Nothing Is Scarier
 Dreams of a Life / int_cdfe12c3
comment
Nothing Is Scarier: Although there is a reenactment of the police breaking into Joyce's apartment only to discover her skeletal remains, they are never directly shown, presumably out of respect for her. But during the scenes of workers cleaning her apartment, there is a big, human-sized and -shaped stain on the floor.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_d9cf40fa
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Screw This, I'm Outta Here
 Dreams of a Life / int_d9cf40fa
comment
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Joyce is described as a person who would habitually flee at the first sign of trouble and frequently moved from apartment to apartment, which probably made it harder for her loved ones to find her.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_f12c6fb1
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Surprisingly Sudden Death
 Dreams of a Life / int_f12c6fb1
comment
Surprisingly Sudden Death: As far as anyone knows, Joyce suddenly died alone in her apartment one day while she was wrapping Christmas presents. The documentary ends with a reenactment of her death where she simply lies down and apparently dies in her sleep.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_f12d9d83
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Promotion to Parent
 Dreams of a Life / int_f12d9d83
comment
Promotion to Parent: After Joyce's mother died in her childhood, her older sisters took charge of raising her.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_f2097aef
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Finally Found the Body
 Dreams of a Life / int_f2097aef
comment
Finally Found the Body: Three years after her passing, police broke into Joyce's flat to repossess it, only to find her skeletal remains.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_f3d84bc4
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Giftedly Bad
 Dreams of a Life / int_f3d84bc4
comment
Giftedly Bad: Though Joyce had aspirations of becoming a singer, according to a former boyfriend named Alistair (who was a music producer), she wasn't very good at it. However, others who knew her disagree, believing she had a beautiful voice and likening it to that of Whitney Houston.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_f765e2d3
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Dying Alone
 Dreams of a Life / int_f765e2d3
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Dying Alone: Joyce did, and what's worse was that no one discovered that she had for three years.
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 Dreams of a Life / int_fb7faf98
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Exhausted Eye Bags
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Exhausted Eye Bags: Joyce is seen with heavy shadows under her eyes, as a visual indicator of how troubled her life was.
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Dreams of a Life

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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Dying Alone / int_2c3acb3c
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Films of 2010–2014 / int_2c3acb3c