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Movies / On DVD / In a Dream
In a Dream

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In a Dream (2009)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:19

Rotten:5

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: This tender tribute to an obscure artist's work is both compelling and visually striking.

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Synopsis: In the vibrant, bohemian neighborhood of South Philadelphia, 50,000-square feet of concrete are covered with tile and mirrors—mosaics that were created by Isaiah Zagar, an eccentric, tormented... In the vibrant, bohemian neighborhood of South Philadelphia, 50,000-square feet of concrete are covered with tile and mirrors—mosaics that were created by Isaiah Zagar, an eccentric, tormented artist. The murals chronicle his love for his wife, Julia, and subtly hint at the darker corners of an extraordinary imagination.

Where Isaiah is obsessive and narcissistic—a former Peace Corps volunteer who has become an icon in South Philly's art community—Julia is gracious and warm. For decades, their opposing natures complemented one another perfectly. But suddenly the family is torn apart at the seams: A few hours before picking up his oldest son from a rehabilitation center, Isaiah confesses to an affair with his assistant, is kicked out of the house, and spirals into depression.

A fascinating portrait of love and betrayal, family bonds, and the intimacy of dysfunction. --© International Film Circuit [More]

Starring: Isaiah Zagar, Julia Zagar, Jeremiah Zagar

Starring: Isaiah Zagar, Julia Zagar, Jeremiah Zagar

Director: Jeremiah Zagar

Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Studio: Indipix

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Reviews for In a Dream

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Where most documentarians would rest on the laurels of a great subject and riveting present-tense drama, director Jeremiah Zagar has observed too much of his father's creative logic to cheat us with artless hagiography.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/08/09
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice

A captivating, honest and thoroughly engrossing documentary with plenty of wisdom, panache and stunning visuals.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
04/12/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Thanks to some amazing archival material...and a little bit of filmmaking as fate, In a Dream blooms and then blossoms.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
12/07/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

An involving, sometimes painfully intimate piece that's as much about living with mental illness as it is about a rather remarkable artistic vision.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/01/09
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A moving personal documentary.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/05/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An unusual and compelling documentary portrait of an artist of dazzling and colorful murals.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/10/09
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Call it forgiveness or codependency, but this highly personal film speaks to all of us in the universal languages of art and love.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/12/09
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

When it works, it's well. When it doesn't, it seems unfocused and nearly loses our interest.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
05/07/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The images and emotions of 'In A Dream' will stick with you.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/26/09
Jennifer Merin
Jennifer Merin
About.com

Even in an era of 24-hour confessional TV, this look into complex emotions is gripping.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
04/10/09
Joe Neumaier
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News

Because Jeremiah lacks the investigatory zeal to pursue the subplots, which also include his father's madness and his older brother's drug addiction, this lovely film is more evocative than illuminating.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
05/14/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The sheer visual impact of In a Dream is breathtaking.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
07/03/09
Laura Bennett
Laura Bennett
Boston Globe

A grand gesture, an exercise in epic biography that explodes the intimate details of Isaiah's life and its effects on his family onto the screen.

Full Review Source: Reverse Shot | comment Comment
08/08/09
Leo Goldsmith
Leo Goldsmith
Reverse Shot

The film's elements hum into a glorious experience, with its narrative as captivating as its visualization.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
10/02/09
Matthew Sorrento
Matthew Sorrento
Film Threat

Bursting with vivid home movies and loving appreciations of Isaiah’s artwork -- frenzied drawings and monumental mosaics in tile and mirror, many of which now beautify his Philadelphia neighborhood -- In a Dream abounds in visual pleasure.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/10/09
Nathan Lee
Nathan Lee
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What’s onscreen is vivid and compelling, but the film only seems to tell part of the story.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
04/09/09
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

an artistic celebration of sorts -- with the emotional pain that can come with dedication, and maybe a little madness.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/10/09
Norm Schrager
Norm Schrager
Filmcritic.com

Easily one of the most 'personal' documentaries I've ever had the pleasure to see.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
03/19/08
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
Cinematical

In a Dream captures a family imploding. Their lives are laid bare, in broken bits, like the ceramic that Isaiah uses for his art, and they come together in In a Dream with sadness and beauty, rage and insight.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/04/08
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

The movie feels as if its creator is simply too close to his subject to cover all the angles; perhaps a director without blood bonds might have managed a less claustrophobic look at the clan.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
04/08/09
Anna King
Anna King
Time Out New York
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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