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 

Open Your Eyes (1997)

The startlingly surreal Spanish psychothriller that inspired modern cult classic Vanilla Sky

8.0

The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (2016)

An understated and unusually modest sports biopic that celebrates love rather than championships

7.4

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

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

8.1

Jim Henson Idea Man (2024)

Bursting with color and heart, Jim Henson’s life story is sure to inspire hopeful creatives all around

7.8

The Guilty (2018)

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

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

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

7.7

Swing Kids (2018)

An engaging and enjoyable musical that revels in dance, but struggles in depicting its history

7.5

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Turtles Can Fly (2005)

A realistic and well-made Kurdish drama that’s absolutely devastating

8.0

The Sacrifice (1986)

In his final film, Andrei Tarkovsky contemplates the end of the world in this meditative modern twist to the Sacrifice of Isaac

8.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.