The Dreamlife of Angels

2007 • 108 minutes

About this movie

Elodie Bouchez and Natacha Regnier shared the Best Actress award at Cannes and picked up separate Cesars (French Oscars) for their stunning performances as Isa and Marie, two young women living a hand-to-mouth existence in Lille. They meet at the same textile sweatshop, and end up living together when Marie agrees to house-sit a flat after its regular occupants are badly injured in a car crash. But life remains uncertain work is sporadic and they could be evicted at any time. Their personal lives are equally turbulent Marie takes a rich lover (despite already seeing one of his employees), and Isa discovers the diary of the youngest car crash victim, revealing the inner life and future aspirations of someone who might not emerge from her coma. Erick Zonca's directorial debut (which also won the Cesar for Best Film) is a beautifully observed, unselfconsciously poetic study of quiet desperation.

Ratings and reviews

Great film. Brilliant acting for the most part.