Again this year, Denver Film Festival artistic director Matt Campbell is offering his must-see picks for each day of the event, which is largely virtual and continues through November 8. Keep reading to get his take on the selection for November 5: Some Kind of Heaven.
Some Kind of Heaven
Directed by Lance Oppenheim
Limited screening: Accessible 6:15 p.m. November 5 and 6:16 p.m. November 8
According to Matt Campbell, Some Kind of Heaven is perfect for those intrigued by "kooky, weird Americana."
The Lance Oppenheim doc "is about The Villages in Florida, which they advertise as the largest retirement community in the world: the Disneyland for Senior Citizens," he says. "The film follows multiple subjects who are very different. For some of them, The Villages is a dream life where they ride around in golf carts and take part in synchronized swimming and foxtrot dancing in the town square. But for others, it's a lonely place, including some who've lost their significant other and find it hard to make friends. And there's also a man who starts smoking marijuana, which he's never done before. It freaks out his wife, but he says, 'I'm going to do what I want' — and then he gets in trouble with the law."
And that's not to mention "this philandering ladies' man who actually doesn't even live at The Villages. He's basically squatting in his van and trying to meet the local single ladies."
The emotional mix of this supposed nirvana "runs the gamut of all the different experiences that are available within the community," Campbell observes. "It mixes levity and sadness in equal doses."
Click for ticket information and more details about the 43rd Denver Film Festival, including how to access selections online.