With “Some Kind of Heaven”, director Lance Oppenheim cracks the manicured facade of The Villages, America’s largest retirement community – a massive, self-contained utopia located in Central Florida.
The Villages community is the self-described “Disneyworld for Retirees.” Every day is supposed to be a good one for the 120,000+ senior citizens of The Villages: Whether residents are interested in synchronized swimming or cheerleading, tai chi or golf cart parades, this large community of healthy retirees offers a utopian vision of a (retired) American Dream: wide, safe streets, picture-perfect landscaping, and countless activities all in service of their residents’ golden years.
Behind the gates of this palm tree-lined fantasyland, some are unable to find happiness within the community’s pre-packaged paradise. While most residents have bought into the community’s blissful optimism, we meet a small group of residents – a married couple, a widow and a bachelor – living on the margins of the marketing fantasy, struggling to find footing inside the dream.
With strikingly composed cinematography, this candy-colored documentary offers a tender and surreal look at the never-ending quest for finding meaning and love in life’s final act.