62
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80EmpirePatrick PetersEmpirePatrick PetersThis barely conceivable story of neglect and loneliness is given heartbreaking new life by Morley, with Zawe Ashton standing in effectively for the tragic young singer.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawDreams of a Life is a painful film, a Christmas film with no feelgood message, but one which I think would in fact have interested Charles Dickens. Watching it is an almost claustrophobic experience, but a very powerful and moving one.
- 80Total FilmNeil SmithTotal FilmNeil SmithA bleak yet strangely heartening film.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfDirector Morley has at least restored something of a soul to her subject.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeCarol Morley's sadly fascinating Dreams of a Life, which plays like a more artful cousin to TV's true-crime documentaries, slowly assembles a portrait of Vincent, unfolding in a way that should earn fans in its niche theatrical run.
- 63Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerDreams of a Life succeeds in making its point about the unkowability of the people in our lives, but there isn't quite enough substance here to fully sustain the film.
- 50Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonLeft with barely any there there, Morley compensates with long reenactments starring look-alike Zawe Ashton that are never quite convincing but instead suck more air out of the haunting vacuum left behind in Vincent's wake.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFor all its subtext about identity and London's social fabric, Dreams of a Life leaves too many blanks and is ultimately more frustrating than rewarding.