Some Kind of Heaven

This documentary has been on my list for around 3 years, and I'm so glad I finally got down to watching it. I am only 20 years old, but this film really resonated with me. It was a mind-opening experience that plunged me further into my existential crisis, and which reaffirmed something that I had been in denial of- that nothing stays the same, and that I need to accept this as a fact and eventually embrace it. Though I did appreciate the beauty in this film, it did scare me, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it and the concept of death further down the road- which is, of course, bittersweet, but a needed intervention.

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.

I found this documentary very NOT boring! I'm not sure why...maybe it was the realism of it. Real people...real feelings...real problems...everyone with their own unique personality, not just the "personality of an Old Person."

Seeing older people as just everyday people....and not necessarily "The Elderly" was somewhat eye-opening. All of the movies these days about this age group (usually written by younger people, I'm sure) make them see like they're so "different." This show proves they are not. They have hopes, dreams, problems, crushes, marriage difficulties...just like everyone else! And that's somehow refreshing...

The Villages as a whole, however, seem sort of odd. Somewhat....surreal. Not part of "real life," as one of the people even admitted. "It's like you're living in a bubble." I can compare it to how I felt after vacationing in Disney...that whole "bubble" feeling. Actually, it's not a bad feeling! Sort of reminds me of life on the ship in the movie "Wall-E" without all the technology. But just give it time.

The constant parties and dancing and group activity...I wonder, does everyone participate in all that, all the time? Maybe it would have been good if the show pointed out that some residents are not total "party animals" and just enjoy "doing their own thing." Honestly, watching this show, I was feeling that these older people are leading way more exciting lives than I am, I can tell you that much!

The "ready socialization" the community provides is nice...if you want it. Not that you would want it constantly. Although, maybe some people do. Anyway, I found the whole thing interesting. Why not make a documentary about older people? This society has the mistaken idea that only young people are interesting. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I would recommend this show ...especially to anyone who might be interested in moving to this place...although a few of the people the show focused on did seem a bit odd (and yea, one was a real loser).

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.

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.