Some Kind of Heaven

Picking dysfunctional people to represent what the Villages about not fair. You can find same in any neighborhood near you. One man not even a true resident but a drifter looking for a rich lady to take advantage of.

Nothing much happens in this documentary, it's as if the people making it lost interest (as I did) in the first ten minutes and it just sort of ambles along with shots of mundane people doing mundane things. I didn't much care for any of the people in the film, being mostly self obsessed and one dimensional at least this was how they were portrayed.

Marriage is hard. For many people, being alone is hard. Hell, being human is hard, I don't care who you are. I was very pleased there was no talk of the politics of The Villages, but you will get the gist of the place. And if you're in the right mood to see real people caught up in the human condition , I think you'll enjoy. It stayed with me for a while.

A superb trio of stories set within a retirement oasis, each insanely engaging and representing a sobering reality of the American dream. Homeless bachelor Dennis is a gold-digging disaster; his segments are Kubrick-esque. Mild-mannered, recently-widowed Barbara's story is sweetly melancholy; her segments have a Vinterberg realism to them. My favorite is the couple, a sad and disturbing vision of marriage that plays like a Christopher Guest mockumentary that's more dramatic than funny.

This is what the enormous retirement community of The Villages promises and to many it delivers. What isn't so apparent is the dark underbelly of this community of 130,000 seniors in central Florida... a homeless 81 year old who's on the run from the law looking for some nice lady to take him in, the narcotics addict checking out in a haze of smoke and ersatz eastern philosophy, a recent widow navigating despair shortly after her arrival to town as well as various other souls who were drawn to the promise of eternal life and reinvention. The portraits of each are presented with care and tenderness and the photography is exquisite with its sweeping camera and saturated Florida sun colors. It's a very understated and personal documentary that respects its subjects and avoids the lurid or sensational approach of an expose. I was a bit surprised but not disappointed that some of the other well publicized issues were avoided - rampant STDs and ugly politics but no matter, it's still a strong program and highly recommended, particularly if you are approaching the age of retirement.

If one were to head into Lance Oppenheim's feature documentary not knowing that what they were about to see is in fact very real, there's every chance that the unsuspecting viewer would wonder what type of fever dream they have managed to enter into. A stunningly well-shot examination of life and times in a Disneyland like retirement community in Florida known simply as The Villages, the Darren Aronofsky and New York Times backed doco Some Type of Heaven is a unique and at times wonderous beast that lacks a true focus or narrative drive but offers us a chance to gain insight into what life in a "dreamlike" retirement community may look like. Full of sun, Hawaiian shirts and more wrinkled and sun-withered skin than any human should dare lay witness too, Oppenheim and his crew follow the exploits and daily activities of a raft of Village residents that includes a lonely widow, an 80 plus year old playboy hellbent on discovering love (aka money) too finally enjoy and a long time married couple that find their marriage tested in the face of ailing mental health and of all things a drug carrying conviction, with Heaven showcasing that not all is fun and games in what appears to be retiree nirvana. As we watch the films participants drink, dance, golf and go about their daily routines against the backdrop of the picturesque surrounds of their slice of paradise, there's no doubt that viewers at times will be envious of what joys these folk can now partake in on a regular occurrence but their is an underlying sense of foreboding and despair that also lays in wait in this American dreamland and it's here that Oppenheim and his film make their biggest marks on the viewer; not even Disneyworld for retirees is as perfect as it at times may seem. One of the other huge pluses to this off-beat affair is the fact that Oppenheim and his D. O. P David Bolen capture some of the most starkly beautiful and captivating imagery that I can recall seeing in the past 12 - 18 months of cinema, with the Villages and its residents providing a raft of unforgettable images and moments that are at times magical and other times hauntingly honest in their depictions of dreams clashing with harsh realities. It's a shame there wasn't more glue holding all of this magic together when it comes to what drives the film or where the tales destination is wanting to take us but despite all of this, its unlikely you've ever seen either a narrative or documentary film quite like this before. Final Say - Bizarre, wonderous and depressing all in equal measure, Some Kind of Heaven is a majestically shot documentary that shines a light on one of the most unique places in the world. 3 1/2 golf carts out of 5.

A weirdly-entrancing documentary about the lives of four residents within Florida's quasi-cultish retirement community The Villages, Some Kind of Heaven is endearing, passionate, and head-shakingly raw. This is a story about those twilighted individuals who do not want life to end, at least not in a whimper, and preferably not alone. The Villages is often called the "Disneyland for Retirees." From synchronized swimming to pickleball, residents play golf, take acting classes, and exercise as cheerleaders. Life is good. If you can afford it. And if you buy into the package. Some Kind of Heaven focuses, however, on four residents living on the margins, striving to find happiness. Lance Oppenheim displays their dreams turned to woe with The Villages providing the background color. And there is woe to be had, self-inflicted or not. As a documentary, the storytelling exists to showcase The Villages' uncomfortable reality; in showing the cracks in the walls; the holes in the characters' lives. Oppenheim firmly sets out to show the lives of four individuals with The Villages playing that silent fifth man. As striking as the narrative is for the residents, the allure of this weird setting screams for more attention; a request that goes unheeded. This equates to the only unevenness of an otherwise stellar feature. The viewer certainly gains a sense of closure on the characters but the environment remains unsettled. Are The Villages truly a Flordian dream to aspire? Where perfect weather and non-stop activities provide a contextual Fountain of Youth? Or is this slice of heaven as flawed as its community where every moment is a mere distraction of the inevitable? Perhaps yoga, and margaritas, and golf carts are resignations not paradise.

It is a shame the filmmakers didn't contrast the people they profiled - all of whom are suffering - with some of the residents who enjoy their lives at The Villages. As a result, the movie comes off as a cheap hit piece made by people with an agenda. And, though it looked nice, why not use wide screen? Who wants to watch a picture filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio in 2021? Not me.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this little gem. It feels like Errol Morris directed a Todd Solondz script. The fact that this is a 20 something year old's first feature is really exciting, as this guy has a whole career's worth of work ahead of him. Absurdity has never been so humane.