Some Kind of Heaven

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.

As I anticipate my coming milestone birthday, the big seven-oh, I for some weird reason decided to watch Some Kind of Heaven. I guess I am curious about how different people handle the challenge of ageing gracefully. Well, now I kind of wish I hadn't watched it as it left me feeling pretty depressed.

But I think it's because of the way the film was done, i.e., the characters the writer and/or director chose to focus on. Two of the women just seemed so sad it was awful. A couple of the men, too, were struggling. I'm thinking now that the film's producers should have included a character or two who were actually happy, just for balance.

Interestingly, though, the people who seemed the most troubled - Reggie and Anne, and Dennis, had histories that preceded and led up to their current troubled states shown in the film. I guess one of the conclusions one can draw from the film is that you carry your problems with you, i.e., a change of venue doesn't solve the deeper issues.

Bottom line: it was very well done but I would have liked more information about each character as well as about the place itself. Also, I wish there had been at least one resident who was content.

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.

The stuff in this documentary feels faker than most non-documentaries, and I appreciate it being filmed like a scripted feature to further this feeling. It's not that you think the whole thing is staged, but rather that's how absurd the subject matter is. The movie is a horrifying and hilarious dreamscape. One that is way too possible to not be a nightmare. How is this real? How did these people get like this? And, most importantly, how do I avoid it like the plague? This documentary is funnier than the sitcom version of the same story would be, precisely because you know it isn't a sitcom. Life can and has become just a checklist for a lot of people. Though the subjects have their redemptive moments of vulnerability, I mostly walked away with viewing their stories as a cautionary tale. Life is short, but not at the villages.

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).