Chasing a Dream (Miles from Nowhere) (2009)

Critic Reviews

• Laura Bennett, Boston Globe

  The sheer visual impact of In a Dream is breathtaking.

• Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

  The eclectic beauty of Isaiah's complex, labor-intensive art form deserves more process-oriented dissection.

• Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle

  Isaiah's work frequently rewards the camera's roving attention, but his self-absorption and lack of self-insight make him a sad subject even for as forgiving a study as In a Dream.

• Kyle Smith, New York Post

  The tedious documentary In a Dream tells you much more than you could ever want to know about an ob scure Philadelphia artist called Isaiah Zagar.

• Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

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

• Nathan Lee, New York Times

  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.

• Matthew Sorrento, Film Threat

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

• Leo Goldsmith, Reverse Shot

  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.

• Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times

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

• Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com

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

• Jennifer Merin, About.com

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

• Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  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.

• Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City

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

• Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

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

• Eric Monder, Film Journal International

  Almost too ready-made for a movie, this documentation of the lives of a troubled artist, his doting wife and his two grown sons should be dramatic and compelling, but comes across like a mockumentary of cinematic self-discovery.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

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

• Nathan Rabin, AV Club

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

Read all 17 critic reviews