'Dreams of a Life' directed by Carol Morley

In 2006 the London Housing Authority discovered the skeletal remains of a 38 year old woman in a bedsit in North London. What was remarkable was that the victim, Joyce Vincent, had been dead for three years. Her corpse had laid undisturbed while her TV set played the BBC continuously. The shocking news story became the subject of a film by British filmmaker Carol Morley titled Dreams of a Life which chronicles the life of Vincent.

American audiences will not be able to watch this documentary unless they take a trip to the UK. So far, the U.S. screening rights have not been obtained but the story has struck a chord worldwide. Vincent had been a beautiful and popular woman who held high paying jobs in London before she mysteriously quit and vanished from her friends’ lives. People had become so used to Vincent drifting from one social group to another that no one noticed when she stop communicating.

Morley uncovered that Vincent had been living in a bedsit after escaping a domestic violence situation. Prior to that, Vincent lived in a battered women’s shelter in London and worked as a cleaner. She had isolated everyone in her life as her tactic appeared to be that of keeping up with appearances. Other details about Vincent’s life that Morley discovered were her romantic escapades and tragic childhood that included her mother’s death when she was 11. There are also hints of childhood abuse and a need for Vincent to escape her past. Morley took five years to complete the film and the results have stunned audiences. Many walked out of theaters intent on contacting someone.

Morley played investigative reporter and private detective to piece together Vincent’s story. What emerges is that Vincent had immediate family in town but was estranged from them for years. She was also sought after and had dreams to become a singer. Morley was shocked at how little Vincent resembled the kind of person to die and be forgotten. Dreams of a Life shows footage of Vincent meeting Nelson Mandela to conclude the film to highlight how unlikely her fate was. The most chilling interviews are with her friends who had actually heard of the discovered corpse but did not think it was their friend.