The Dreamlife of Angels movie storyline. In Lille, two penniless young women with few prospects become friends. Isa moves in with Marie, who’s flat-sitting for a mother and child in hospital in comas following a car crash. Isa is out-going, unskilled, with hopes of moving south to warmer climes. Marie usually is either angry or detached.
Then, while Isa begins to visit the child in whose flat they live, going to hospital to read to her, Marie slowly falls for a rich youth. At first Marie keeps him at bay, then she not only pursues him, she begins to dream he is her life’s love. When Isa tries to warn Marie, their friendship flounders. How will Marie handle the inevitable? And once they lose the flat, where will they go?
The Dreamlife of Angels (French: La Vie Rêvée des Anges) is a 1998 French drama film directed by Erick Zonca and Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Grégoire Colin, Patrick Mercado, Jo Prestia, Francine Massenhave, Zivko Niklevski, Murielle Colvez and Lyazid Ouelhadj. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
About the Story
The film is about two working class women, Isa and Marie. Isa is a drifter and searching for a lover she had met during the summer. When she realizes that her search for him is futile and turns elsewhere, she meets Marie, who lives in a small French town near Lille. The two young women instantly find a connection as they both have been treated harshly by life and are living from day to day in short-time jobs, such as working in a textile factory or delivering leaflets in the streets.
Marie lives in an apartment that she is looking after because the owners had a car accident in which everyone died, except for Sandrine, a teenager, who is in a coma. Marie invites Isa to live with her. Shortly thereafter Isa and Marie meet up with two bouncers, Fredo and Charly, whom they befriend. The men help them out and they have genuine fun together, although they are not much better off than the women.
Isa is the kind of girl who always lands on her own two feet and has a casual c’est la vie attitude when it comes to life and generally doesn’t let the hardships get to her, while Marie finds it hard to express herself emotionally, and gets angry when she feels vulnerable. Marie cannot put up with the way she is tossed around by the world, and so, despite being in a relationship with Charly, she tries to escape through a local playboy, Chriss, a rich nightclub owner, who regularly goes out with girls and views Marie as just another one of his random flings.
Isa is tougher in that she can take the beating and stick with what is around her, and does not get carried away by the false possibility of a better life. Significantly, Isa refuses to sleep with her casual boyfriend Fredo, drawing her strength from within, while Marie is emotionally dependent on Chriss, who, it is clear, does not love her. Isa is well aware of Chriss’s true intentions and tries to warn Marie, who refuses to listen.
Isa finds Sandrine’s diary and reads it to her during visits in the hospital. Meanwhile, Chriss decides to end his fling with Marie. Instead of breaking up with her in person, he asks Isa to tell her for him (she replies “it’s not for me to tell her”), clearly afraid Marie would self-destruct in front of him, then leaving Marie’s later calls unreturned. Meanwhile, Sandrine comes out of her coma, but Isa, who has visited her so faithfully while she was in a coma, decides not to see her while she is awake. After finally learning about Chriss’ decision to end the relationship, Marie jumps out of a window. The film ends with Isa starting to work in a new factory.
The Dreamlife of Angels (1998)
Directed by: Erick Zonca
Starring: Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Grégoire Colin, Patrick Mercado, Jo Prestia, Francine Massenhave, Zivko Niklevski, Murielle Colvez, Lyazid Ouelhadj
Screenplay by: Erick Zonca
Production Design by: Jimmy Vansteenkiste
Cinematography by: Agnès Godard, Dominique Le Rigoleur
Film Editing by: Yannick Kergoat
Costume Design by: Françoise Clavel
Music by: Yann Tiersen
MPAA Rating: R for some strong sexuality.
Distributed by: Diaphana Films
Release Date: September 16, 1998 (France)
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