Life Is a Dream
A deeply personal documentary follows a son’s cross-border search for the father whose abandonment shaped his family and identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- heartbreaking
- intimate
- reflective
- reflective evening
- documentary night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Valentino travels between New York, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela seeking the father who left him as a child.
The story presents Valentino's childhood abandonment and its lasting emotional consequences as the central dramatic material.
The protagonist is left at seven with his mother and three brothers, making the father's absence the defining conflict.
The journey links New York, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela through Valentino's family history and search for belonging.
Films like Life Is a Dream, and why
The Salt of the Earth
personal quest documentary shaped by family separation, migration, and emotional testimony
Minding the Gap
intimate nonfiction portrait centered on fractured family bonds and painful social realities
Stories We Tell
cross-border documentary journey combining autobiographical storytelling with themes of abandonment and reconciliation
Movie Details
- Director
- David E. Breaux
- Release Date
- 2014-01-01
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 0.0 / 10
Cast
- F. Valentino Morales
- Santiago de la Vega
- Minerva Martinez
- Pilades Victoria Martinez
- Joe Moore
- Frank Morales Borges
- Anthony Morales
- Asia Morales
- Jeanette Colon Morales
- Marlo Morales
Common questions
- What is Life Is a Dream about?
- A deeply personal documentary follows a son’s cross-border search for the father whose abandonment shaped his family and identity.
- What is Life Is a Dream like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Life Is a Dream as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Life Is a Dream violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Life Is a Dream.
- Which films are like Life Is a Dream?
- Films with a similar feel include The Salt of the Earth, Minding the Gap, and Stories We Tell.
- How long is Life Is a Dream?
- Life Is a Dream runs 81 minutes.
