Ivan Kander
We’ve often seen short films transition into features, but it’s rare to see the opposite journey: a feature condensed back into a short. Using footage left on the “cutting room floor” of his critically acclaimed feature documentary, Some Kind of Heaven, The Paradise Next Door provides an introspective look at the inner and surrounding world of America’s largest retirement community. But, whereas Some Kind of a Heaven is a fascinating character study, this short companion piece is essentially the opposite: a macro-level primer of the setting where the protagonists of his feature spend their time.
I’m, of course, referring to The Villages, Florida: a sprawling retirement community monikered the “Disneyland for retirees.” It’s easy to see why Oppenheim’s fascination with this place would inspire a feature and spill over to this resulting short doc: it’s an uncanny setting—a simulacrum harkening back to a time when America was…you know…“great.”
Some Kind of Heaven is a noticeably apolitical film, but The Paradise Next Door doesn’t totally shy away from the place’s well-documented Trumpian ties (former Vice President Mike Pence held a rally there prior to the 2020 presidential election). It’s a brief visual moment in this film to be sure, but there’s nothing quite like seeing a battalion of candy-colored golf carts lined up with Pro-Trump signage.
The Paradise Next Door provides a larger look at how the Villages fits into the Floridian landscape.
As brilliant as Some Kind of Heaven is (don’t take my word for it, read the reviews), it’s not so much about The Villages itself as it is a story about different people seeking meaning as they enter the latter portion of their lives. The Paradise Next Door, on the other hand, in somewhat ironic fashion, feels bigger in scope: a larger look at what the Villages is as a physical community and how it fits into the Floridian landscape, slowly encroaching and eating up those who don’t fit into its very particular sanitized representation of American nostalgia. As a result, we get one of my favorite diversions in all of Oppenheim’s coverage of this place: that of a young woman living, Florida Project-style, on the barrier to the kingdom that she can only observe.
Oppenheim contrasts that with the Villages itself: a Truman Show-esque fantasy with a foundation that is literally crumbling. The symbolism is almost too perfect—a veneer designed to cover up a sort of Lynchian darkness.
All this to say, Oppenheim’s intent as a storyteller isn’t to “expose” anything here. This isn’t a “hit piece” on the Villages nor is the intent to gawk or mock its residents. Instead, the aim is to dive inside this manicured world and what that means for those both inside and outside its bubble.
As he relates to Short of the Week:
“I saw an opportunity to tell a story with this short that went beyond partisan politics and spoke to something that I found more existentially interesting and unsettlingly relatable: the absurd lengths that many Americans go to – especially those nearing the end of their lives – to live inside of a fantasy.”
Like in Some Kind of Heaven, the style of the short is striking: controlled framing and a Technicolor-esque color grade. After watching enough moody, “naturalistic” documentaries to last a lifetime, watching Oppnenheim’s work in this series (crafted by cinematographer David Bolen) is like leaving Kansas and waking up in Oz: it’s a hazy, sun-streaked dream of Floridian color.
The stories and characters captured are fascinating, but we understand why they don’t exist in the feature
I will concede that The Paradise Next Door works best as a companion piece to Some Kind of Heaven as opposed to a standalone short. There’s just so much here it’s impossible for 7 minutes to truly explore it with any sense of true resolution. But, it’s all just so fascinating and the craft is so strong (Oppenheim is a multi-alum of the site), that it’s hard not to recommend. Moreover, Paradise serves as a sort of behind the scenes look at the editorial process. The stories and characters captured here are fascinating, but I understand why they don’t exist in the feature—evidence that narrative, especially in documentary, is often found via the edit.
If you’re interested in learning more about Oppenheim and his journey from shorts to features, please check out this interview he was gracious enough to grant Short of the Week at last year’s Sundance (in the before times before the world shut down). And, of course, be sure to rent/buy Some Kind of Heaven via your preferred digital media provider.