Some Kind of Heaven

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Audience Member Filmmaker Lance Oppenheim directs a documentary cracking the manicured facade of The Villages with Darren Aronofksy producing. Located in Central Florida it's a massive, self-contained retirement community. Behind the gates of this utopia lie a small group of Villages residents and one interloper who are unable to find happiness within the community's prepackaged paradise. This is supposed to be a place where many of the elderly go to live and not just die. They find happiness, solace, become socially engaging, life-enriching. It's supposed to give you that feeling of youth again. Whether by divorce or someone else passing it is home to 22,000 seniors. You want to be part of the fantasy dressing up in nice outfits etc. There's all kinds of entertainment from golf to bowling to karaoke to tennis to dancing. Sort of Disneyland for old people as it were. But there's a portion of the residents claiming it is not all it's cracked up to be. It's not the real world according to them, it's more like a bubble cut off from the rest of everyplace else. One in particular is Reggie who goes about on the golf courses, practicing a form of mediation and even using drugs to take his mind off things. Another is Martin who is a van dweller going from place to place but is dirt-poor. Yet he's still willing to find a respectable lady as a life-long partner. This documentary is shot in pan-and-scan format to give the viewer that up close and personal point-of-view. We are seeing the community from an aged individual's experience. It's true everyone is on the verge of death. Workaholics want to forget their troubles. Many want to make the most of the time they have left however they can. It's not easy being married and old at the same time. What is truly important the more time passes? This film is wonderfully-filmed, honest, truthful, and kinda surprising in some spots. Oppenheim makes a very well-balanced character study not simply praising seniority or any of the things it comes with, there's a sense of real uneasiness about it all underneath the accommodations and splendors provided. Whether it's one senior or several everyone has trouble adjusting to the next phase in their lives, so as a result they do their own things to get by. Anybody past their prime can still feel fresh when it comes to dating or finding an unexpected love for sports or the arts. But being old isn't the end; it's just that we have to look past the fact that dying is the only thing left for us. Aside from an ending that in my opinion could've been more resolved this documentary does a good job showing how the elderly can still feel fulfilled in many areas when everything else they feel like is done and left behind. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/24 Full Review Sandra E A sobering look at the difficulties of life in one's later years. One would hope that a community such as this might mitigate loneliness, but all the characters focused on were incredibly lonely. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/24 Full Review georgan g Enjoyed the visual play, but not main characters normalcy when in fact, they were no such thing. Communication & good mental health would be the best environment for retired & the young. Pleased to see proud females. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This had nothing to do with the Villages. It's about three odd but boring, people. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The images, the light, the atmosphere, and the pace of this film is dead on accurate. Having spent time around older people, retied people, and others in Florida (I happen to be almost 73), I found this film to accurately convey the illusionary fiction of 55+ communities down there. Indeed, I hope the filmmaker goes back to the Villages ten years from now, when the dancing, golf, and drinks by the pool, are replaced with wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen canisters. From my experiences, cultural pleasure environments are great, but like all things - they are temporary. The Villages are a time bomb, and it's ticking. I'd like the director to do a third film, showing seniors who continue to live vital, creative, and challenging lives. Believe me, we're out here, and we have no interest in second childhoods. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review hugo m Found some great real life characters in an interesting place. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Some Kind of Heaven

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