La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Gregoire Colin, Jo Prestia, Patrick Mercado

Elodie Bouchez and Natacha Regnier both won "Best Actress" honors at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival in this naturalistic drama about two women alienated from mainstream society. After a trio of short f... read more read more...ilms, this is the feature directorial debut of 41-year-old French filmmaker Erick Zonca. With opening scenes reminiscent of Agnes Varda's Vagabond (1985), optimistic hobo Isa (Bouchez), with her life in her backpack, has a gritty existence on the road, going from one town to another through northern France, working factory jobs and selling cards. After she loses a garment-factory job, her withdrawn, near-catatonic co-worker Marie (Regnier) lets Isa share space in her Lille living quarters -- an apartment actually belonging to a hospitalized mother and daughter. Marie begins an affair with burly bouncer Charly (Patrick Mercado) before achieving an emotional breakthrough with sleazy, animalistic club-owner Chriss (Gregoire Colin). Meanwhile, Isa becomes fascinated with the girl who lived in the apartment but now lies in a coma at the hospital. The film combines handheld camerawork with a minimalist music score (Yann Thiersen) and documentary-like street sounds. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

4,291 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

42 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: Erick Zonca

Release Date: September 9, 1998

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 24, 1999

Stats: 165 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Elodie Bouchez La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels)
Upload a Photo | View All La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (165)

  • brooklynspo
    July 23, 2007
    brooklynspo
    Might set the record for most cigarettes smoked in a movie ever.

    Very real-feeling, moving, great perfomances.

    OK, this is glib: kind of like if les freres Dardenne did a good chick flick.
  • littlecharmer1959
    November 5, 2009
    littlecharmer1959
    Excellent performances from the two lead actresses. Incredibly intense and real story, with a particularly emotional ending.
  • divinetrash
    January 4, 2008
    divinetrash
    A beautiful and realistic protrayal of lost human beings looking for their own place in the world; perfectly performed and paced, even when not completely memorable.
  • Milly21
    July 8, 2006
    Milly21
    i like it, not love it. it's a decent foreign film overall. isa proves to be a captivating character, but something else is lacking...not quite sure what.

View All La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

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

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

It's a compelling work about loneliness and two ways of dealing with it. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

There's not a single encounter in The Dreamlife of Angels that isn't vivid and emotionally full. Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
January 1, 2000
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

Completely absorbing, almost rudely poignant.

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

As raw and immediate as it is heartfelt. Full Review

Amy Taubin
January 1, 2000
Amy Taubin, Village Voice

It's so graceful and intelligent and complicated in its depiction of human interaction that it takes the notion of a remarkably assured directorial debut to a new level. Full Review

Charles Taylor
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

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

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

We aren't just watching Isa and Marie endure the tiny triumphs and hardships of their lives; we're experiencing those ups and downs alongside them. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
January 1, 2000
Elizabeth Weitzman, Film.com

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

Lisa Schwarzbaum
January 1, 2000
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

In an American indie, the two girls would be cute slackers; in Dreamlife, they're imbued with the inchoate sadness of feminine existential loneliness. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Acid House
    The Acid House (0%)

More Movies like La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

La Vie Rêvée des ... : Watch Free on TV

La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels). Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add La Vie Rêvée des Anges (The Dreamlife of Angels)(The Daydreams of Angels) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?