In popular media, the elderly are often used as a quirky punchline. They move to Florida, watch Matlock and Murder She Wrote, can’t figure out how to use the TV remote, and lose their dentures. Think rambling Abe Simpson in The Simpsons or Pam’s puritanical grandma in The Office. It’s rare that we get an older person in a leading role, even rarer that they’re a capable, strong protagonist. In Lance Oppenheim’s new documentary Some Kind of Heaven, he takes a different approach, demonstrating that even if we’ve settled down into a retirement community, we’re still figuring out who we are.
The Villages is the largest retirement community in America, created as a sort of fantasy land full of clubs, golf courses, and a main street designed to look like yesteryear with a fictional history to boot. Of the hundreds of thousands of Villagers, Oppenheim centers in on four people that represent the wide variety of people living there. Anne and Reggie are celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary amid Anne’s concerns that Reggie’s strange behavior and drug abuse are driving him to lose touch with reality. Barbara, recently widowed and one of the few who still works full time, finds herself listless and deciding to look for a new companion. Last is Dennis, not a citizen of The Villages, who lives in his van and prowls the property meeting single women and jumping from short term home to home.
All the subjects are fascinating in their own ways. Reggie seems, at first, to be simply enjoying his later years by experimenting, getting high and trying out Tai Chi. However, when he gets in trouble with the law and opts to defend himself, also suddenly claiming that he recently died and has been reincarnated, it becomes clear that there are more serious issues. This prompts Anne to question how she can help him and whether she ought to leave him and start over. Meanwhile Barbara finds herself daydreaming at work, asking her pedicurist and hair stylist for romantic advice. When she meets a golf cart salesman who is also the supplier of margaritas for the local Parrot Head club, she decides to step out of her comfort zone and join him on the dance floor. Dennis quickly realizes that his freewheeling days are over when a DUI charge from California catches up to him, leaving him unable to drive his live-in van. As he moves back in with an old girlfriend, he often contemplates the internal battle between comfort and freedom.
The first thing you’ll notice about Some Kind of Heaven is its absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Director of photography David Bolen shoots the film in a square format, rich with dreamy color and often breathtaking images. There are striking scenes throughout: Reggie exercising in a dimly lit pool while lightning stretches out across the sky behind him; a pickle ball playing Anne silhouetted against an orange and blue sunset; Dennis sleeps in the van in a rainy storage unit lot with green-tinged lights. Each frame looks like it could belong in a coffee table book of some Lomography photographer. It is, without question, one of the most beautiful looking documentaries out there.
It helps that the movie is equally interesting on the audio side, with a unique score by Ari Balouzian. The music ranges from brassy marching band to lush strings and dreamy synthesizers, always augmenting the dramatic images and bringing tons of character to an already enchanting film. Editor Daniel Garber (co-edited by director Oppenheim) also brings a lot to the table, crafting a compelling narrative from these real-life stories. His talents are best displayed by the scene of Barbara telling her hairdresser about her recent meeting with the ‘Margarita Man’ as the film cuts back and forth from her telling to the actual event. This makes the budding relationship even more charming as we get Barbara’s commentary in real-time.
What truly makes the film special, though, is how it treats its subjects. We’ve seen plenty of documentaries (and fiction, for that matter) that highlight the quirkiness of retirement life. Some Kind of Heaven certainly does some of that: it opens, for example, with a practice session of the golf cart drill team and shows Barbara more than a little confused when she attends some sort of tambourine playing club. However, the film never treats the people as a joke, and instead gives them an immense amount of respect. It never shies away from their struggles, and always lets them talk about it in their own terms.
Some Kind of Heaven is an extraordinary film. From its jaw-dropping cinematography to its captivating subject matter, this is one documentary I’ll surely find myself revisiting. While the list of producers on the film is long (and includes Darren Aronofsky?!), it is clear that first-time feature director Lance Oppenheim has a unique talent. My only minor complaint is that I would’ve liked to learn a little more about the history of The Villages which is only touched upon briefly. That said, I eagerly await what this team decides to pursue next!
Some Kind of Heaven is directed by Lance Oppenheim and was recently acquired by Magnolia Pictures, who are planning an early 2021 release of the film. Watch it now through the Atlanta Film Festival’s virtual catalog.