Some Kind of Heaven (2020)

Some Kind of Heaven (2020)

An intriguing documentary that dives deep into a suspiciously euphoric retirement community

7.2

Movie

United States of America
English
Documentary, Drama
2020
LANCE OPPENHEIM
83 min

What it's about

Behind the gates of a palm-tree-lined fantasyland, three residents and one interloper at America’s largest retirement community strive to find happiness.

The take

By all outward appearances, The Villages—a massive and manicured retirement community in Florida—looks like it does offer paradise to its aging residents, as promised. The list of activities is endless, the seniors are all partnered up. “It’s like going back to college,” as one of them puts it, where people from all over the country come together to create a new life with each other. 

But of course, nothing comes that easy, not even death. Some Kind of Heaven follows certain residents (and one committed trespasser) as they grapple with the slipperiness of fulfillment in their later years. It gets very eerie when the film's bleak messages are contrasted with the home's vibrant Floridian colors and the residents' plastered smiles. But the eeriness adds to the overall intrigue and pull of the documentary. Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) co-produces this fascinating film.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Rain (2019)

A girl finds true love in this unusual, marvelous, rain-soaked coming-of-age drama

8.1

Colors of Evil: Red (2024)

A gory and fluffy crime drama hiding behind nonlinear storytelling

5.5

Stand and Deliver (1988)

An inspirational, if a bit embellished, depiction of a maverick math teacher

7.4

Lilies (1996)

A passionate, underseen queer gem where a confession transforms into a memory play

7.5

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

Law of Desire (1987)

Pedro Almodóvar solidified his vision of desire in this campy and chaotic LGBT melodrama

7.6

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Two of Us (2020)

A refreshingly gripping romantic drama where a retiree does everything to stay by her lover’s side

7.2

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

A Part of You (2024)

Ugly grief and seductive envy in a simple story

7.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.