In a Dream
Dir: Jeremiah Zagar
Rating: 4.0
International Film Circuit
80 Minutes
I have known about Isaiah Zagar for most of my life in some capacity or another. As I grew up near Philadelphia and spent many a teenage night haunting South Street and its environs, the artist’s amazing mosaic work that adorns many of the area’s buildings, as well as the iconic Eyes Gallery owned by his wife Julia, have been part of my consciousness since an early age. I even happened to meet the artist through a mutual friend on a few occasions. He left me with the impression of an eccentric, yet gentle man with a wispy white beard and a sly smile.
Last year Pitchfork selected the trailer to the film In a Dream, set to the music of the Books as one of its best videos of 2008. I came across it completely unaware and I remember exclaiming, “Shit! I know this guy.” I had the privilege of seeing the film at the Portland Film Festival and now this intimate portrait of madness and artistry is receiving limited release.
The most important thing to note is that In a Dream is directed by the artist’s son, Jeremiah Zagar. But a fluff piece about an important artist this is not. Jeremiah chronicles his father’s descents into madness, his dalliances outside the marriage, stories of early sexual abuse and the disintegration of his entire family. Though the film may seem miserablist to a fault, Jeremiah uses engaging camera work, beautiful music by the Books and the power of his father’s art to sustain the film’s swift 80 minute runtime.
I’m not going to quote Tolstoy about unhappy families, but Isaiah makes the case early that relationships must survive wars. As he slips from one bout of depression to the next, the film presents a warts-and-all presentation of an artist who is entirely human. Of course, there is something voyeuristic in watching this family struggle, bathe, reveal secrets, love. But isn’t all good cinema voyeurism anyway?
At the centerpiece of the film are the mosaics of Isaiah Zagar. Plastered to sides of buildings, inside the walls of his home and backyard, these patchwork pieces of art capture the development of the Zagar family and the city of Philadelphia in pieces of broken mirror, shattered ceramics, bottles and other detritus. His work covers over 100 buildings throughout the city.
Zagar uses a mix of home videos, fresh footage and animation to give us a well-rounded portrait of a family in crisis. We get numerous scenes of Isaiah working for those interested in the artistic process of the mosaics. Much like the artist’s work, In a Dream explodes the inner working of a family and splatters them up on the screen for us to view. This is an intimate film of an important artist that, like Zagar’s work, really should reach a wider audience.
by David Harris
