Dreaming of Joseph Lees

1999 Drama

This drama takes place in Somerset, England in 1958. Eva is a twenty-year-old woman who fantasizes about travel, painting, classic books, and the attention of Joseph Lees, her second cousin, with whom she fell in love as a girl. Joseph, whom she has not seen for four years, is the only member of the family who has managed to get away from the stale domestic cycle. He has recently been injured in a truck accident and Eva imagines herself curing his wounds. She conceals her obsession from everyone except her sister, the precocious Janie, who is twelve years old. Reality is far away from Eva's dreams. Her artistic endeavors are confined to a local drawing class; she works for a meager salary at a dirty sawmill and the only male around to appreciate her female charm is the local pig farmer, Harry Flyte. Harry's sister Maria is anxious to marry off her brother so that she can be free to do as she pleases. Eva moves in with Harry, but when she meets Joseph at a family gathering, the old flame is rekindled. However, Harry is not so easy to get rid of. Dreaming of Joseph Lees is a family drama and the first feature of Eric Styles. more..

Director: Eric Styles

Starring: Rupert Graves,Samantha Morton, Lee Ross, Miriam Margolyes, Nicholas Woodeson

Reviews

  • Let loose in a plot that's surprisingly modern about sex and relationships, Morton gives Eva's torn longings an immediacy that transcends a lot of damp, 1950s rusticated preciousness.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • A beautifully articulated and acutely perceptive work with impeccable, carefully shaded performances.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • An engrossing, superbly acted film that will haunt the viewer's thoughts long after the film is over.

    - Newsweek

    19 January 2013

  • Beautifully shot and often moving.

    Jonathan Foreman - New York Post

    19 January 2013

  • Along with Sheryl Lee, Morton is probably the best actress to have emerged in this decade.

    Charles Taylor - Salon.com

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Eric Styles

    Emden International Film Festival (2000)

     
  • Best Actress

    Evening Standard British Film Awards (2000)

  • Eric Styles

    Montréal World Film Festival (1999)

     
  • Samantha Morton

    Verona Love Screens Film Festival (2000)