The Dreamlife of Angels

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The Dreamlife of Angels

R

1998

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Isa (Élodie Bouchez) and Marie (Natacha Régnier) bond while working in a French sweatshop and soon begin sharing an apartment that Marie is watching for a hospitalized mother and daughter. Marie, hoping to avoid a life of struggle and poverty, takes up with Chriss (Grégoire Colin), a nightclub owner whose most attractive asset is his money. Isa recognizes the ultimate futility of the relationship and tries to keep Marie away from him, but her interference puts their friendship at risk.

Critics Consensus

Showcasing excellent lead performances, The Dreamlife of Angels is an intelligent, absorbing character study of two women.

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Frank, intimate, touching, with an emotional immediacy that is killing.

Feb 14, 2001

Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Film.com

[Bouchez and Regnier have] fleshed out portraits of a depth rarely seen on screen.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Charles Taylor

Salon.com

Heralds a humanist cinema that neither shortchanges our minds nor cheapens what's in our hearts.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Both Isa and Marie have bad haircuts, dressed in well-worn clothing that probably just barely keeps them warm. There's beauty in those touches of reality, too...

Dec 9, 2021

Full Review

Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 3/5

Aug 7, 2008

Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

Two unforgettable characters are revealed, and the truth resonates powerfully through their stories.

Rated: A

Jan 15, 2005

Full Review

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Johnny H

Cinema simply does not get any better than this!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It is a beautiful film, that discovers new, not yet conquered ground of material, but puts on many depressive stories that lead to more depressive stories, what makes the movie really a downer and I dont know when I would want a movie, that makes me feel worse than before.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

annoyingly boring. Bouchez's role as an androgynous infantile vagabond is just flippant. Her whispy voice, laissez-faire comportement, and ragged costumes suggests she's actually one of the lost boys of wonderland. Nothing really happens in this lazy 2h disillusionment.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This little indy French film is very well written, srtongly acted by two ladies who have since shown how amazing actresses they are & produced with great honesty, never trying to fool anyone or being something it isn't. This is a simple story of two struggling young ladies who survive from odd jobs to plan B, but everything changes when one of them falls in love with a manipulative young man and slowly dive into madness, reckless behavior & anger. Two angels, one choosing the light of hope the other the darkness of an impossible love. A beautiful piece of cinema like only the French know how to do!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A charming set of gals from two much different backgrounds become friends and collide their lives with a number of trying life situations. Very watchable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

One of the better recent French films, with a pair of knockout performances from Bouchez and Reignier. Lovely largely handheld camerawork; lovely off-the-cuff low-budget filmaking.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Erick Zonca

Director

Élodie Bouchez

Isabelle 'Isa' Tostin

Natacha Régnier

Marie Thomas

Grégoire Colin

Chriss

Jo Prestia

Fredo

Patrick Mercado

Charly

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Synopsis

Isa (Élodie Bouchez) and Marie (Natacha Régnier) bond while working in a French sweatshop and soon begin sharing an apartment that Marie is watching for a hospitalized mother and daughter. Marie, hoping to avoid a life of struggle and poverty, takes up with Chriss (Grégoire Colin), a nightclub owner whose most attractive asset is his money. Isa recognizes the ultimate futility of the relationship and tries to keep Marie away from him, but her interference puts their friendship at risk.

Director: Erick Zonca
Producer: François Marquis
Screenwriter: Erick Zonca, Roger Bohbot, Virginie Wagon, Pierre Chosson
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 1998, Original
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR