I find it interesting that he continually talks about the retirees are isolating themselves. As someone looking to retire soon, I find it attractive that there are a lot of people in a similar position than I am. I find my life isolating now as my children have grown, and friends have moved away…
My thoughts exactly. As my wife and I contemplate retirement with retiring friends moving from the north along with family it has become more isolating by the year.
My husband and I relocated to The Villages several months after this video was released. I just watced it again, and after living in The Villages a little over two years I can say in all honesty our lives are nothing like the lives of those portrayed in this video. Maybe it is just us, but we are not social butterflies and most of our socialization and activity participation happens with our neighbors who are now our dear friends. Our lives may appear boring to some especially mine because I very much enoy spending time in my new home with my cats and in my yard which is bursting with all types of tropical plants. I make no excuses for my "boring" Villages life because I spent most of my 44 years in the full-time workforce employed as an ER R.N. and worked every shift known to man along with weekends and holidays which left little time to spend just enjoying my home, pets, family, friends, or to just to stop and smell the roses. And I am very content at this time in my life following a very action filled work life to just be and not have to always do which I can and do live this type of life in The Villages. This video shows just a snap shot of several of the 150k residents that live in The Villages, but believe me, there are many outliers living quiet lives like myself and my husband living here too. And we chose The Villages for the centeal Florida climate and it being away from the coast along we both enjoy playing some golf and we can do that pretty much whenever we want on the many executive golf courses which is paid for by our very reasonable amenity fee.
Just watched this. It really drove home to me that human struggles are the same-whether you're out in the real world, or "rich and comfortably retired" in the Villages. Loneliness, uncertainty, fear of not fitting in and rejection. The cinematography produced an eerie edge. All the perfectly planned and constructed buildings, colours, and fun-filled activities of every kind. There's some desperation in the need to eradicate all unpleasantness and boredom in the "twilight of life." The fact that the whole thing is a massively successful business venture is only touched on early in the film. It's easy to forget that the Villages is associated with and even part of the death care industry. That scene where a couple was viewing a home was poignant to me. The woman said she liked that she could see so many palm trees and felt security knowing that that vista out front would be in the same order in the future. Yeah, five-even ten years on, the agent said. No, twenty years down the line, she countered. Followed by a shot of a street light that branched into two lamps; one of them was spoilt with its cover askew. As if to show that things _could_ go wrong in the Disneyland of retirement homes, but The Villages was just very skilled at keeping up a perfect fantasy: the illusion of constancy. With its own newspaper, news station, and everything. Definitely a quiet dystopian tone running through the whole thing, with occasional sparks of humanity from the cast. I like how "The Villages" is built up as a character through the storytelling in the film-just like how a house can be the villain in a horror flick. "The Villages" is an entity in itself, benign but insidious: those residents were lulled by its fairytale promise and stay on like frogs-"until I croak," Lynn said. Barbara has been there for more than a decade and hasn't left, although her home state calls to her. The closing scene with her leaves more questions than answers. Living in The Villages is a loop, trying to answer the question "What makes a good life at the end of it?" Enjoyed the film. I think the director is good and has many more stories to tell.
I did feel a John Hughes vibe while watching the film. There is an eternal adolescence woven into the different storylines of some very real and painful experiences. It's like the ultimate "coming of age" movie - but instead of entering (and accepting) the "next" phase of life, these individuals are facing the end of life.
I loved that comment Monica. Im 63 female and live in the Silicon Valley area of San Francisco. I can tell you, getting old is horrible when you can't go find a job like you used to be able to .. many dont even think older women like me can even use a phone. I worked in Finance and Law yet we are painfully stereotyped. My life now is just like being insulted every time i leave the house. Men who used to stare at me now smile with a pitiful body swerve to avoid any connection and for a second i think I'm younger and think they might talk..but they dont. Im now overweight due to having no job or friends or family here. I just stay home. But hey,,, im happy. No more broken hearts or fashion fears.. but im worried now my partner might die and leave me.😑 To see my face fade each day in the mirror is so scary.
Watched the film this afternoon and it was truly brilliant. We have a family member and her spouse who live in The Villages. One of them has slid far into the QAnon conspiracy theory head and it's frightening to observe. Exceptionally strange place. Hard to imagine why people would choose to live in an environment that involves cutting oneself off from anything that seems to feel alien or unpleasant. To consciously opt for a nearly all-White, all Republican, all "Christian," child-free bubble over reality seems extremely odd -- like a drug in itself. The film is visually stunning and the music that was composed just for this documentary was perfect. Lance Oppenheim and crew have a wonderful future ahead of them.
One must realize that from a political standpoint the villages is majority conservative ( as are most retiree age folks). There still is a strong liberal base in the villages. Folks in many areas / neighborhoods tend to gravitate to folks that are like minded. This reality can be difficult for folks to realize.
Sure people want to be safe and they want nothing to change. But things always change. The lady that has this husband in the movie, her husband is doing drugs. And he has a problem. She needs help but who really needs help is her husband. I pray that he gets the help he needs to stop doing the drugs anyone. And the woman that is alone that lost her husband. She is sad and lonely. I hope she finds someone who can bring her joy back, that is what I feel God has done for me tho…
As a Psychologist and just as a human, I feel this film was meant to be a farce and was twisted in a way to try to humiliate these people. That may not be where you want to retire or where I want to retire, but it’s not stupid what they’re trying to do there. And you picked out the most bizarre examples, and twisted it into something ugly or ridiculous. I could take a day of your life and I could edit it in a way that makes you look silly. I guess you think you’re a smart guy for doing this, that laughing at others is entertaining to some with small minds, but I think what you did is sad and I think it’s unfair to this group of people and to this community.
I haven't seen this but I think it would be a blast to live there!!! I'm a native Floridian, a conservative and a Baby Boomer!!!!! To be honest The Villages is how planned communities are which are plenty in Florida.. Although these communities in my area aren't 55+ there are three in my area...Celebration, Baldwin Park, and Avalon Park that are self contained or at least close to it.
The portrayal of Disney for Seniors is totally accurate. My question is why 139.996 Village residents after working for 50 years, raising children, weathering the cold war (duck and cover) numerous military skirmishes around the world, woke. and only 1 world championship for the Cubbies and da Bears, while providing the opportunity for film producers to follow their dreams using the English language versus German, Japanese or Russian are we not entitled to the Villages life style ? Just maybe recent college graduates may not have the life experiences to answer that. PS Cleveland has 65 sunny days a year
In the first version from the 70s, the husbands of Stepford were getting laid with their "wives" all the time. That's the Villages that I have heard about.
I was somewhat confused by the end of the movie and the fates of the people. I wasn’t sure if those were old shots to just add a dramatic touch or if that was actually the last thing they filmed.
It confirms that people go back to childhood when they get old. Disney World. Gossip. Dancing lazily around their small, almost identical towns. Splashing in the swimming pool (hopefully there is plenty of chlorine in that water). Children's shoes that flash in the dark. Pickle ball and golf all day. Proudly marching around like tampo majors, with skirts obscuring the view of their diapers. Holds garage music gatherings so they can play like overgrown kids. All in all, a place where they can go back to the childhood they remember. Childish in a politically correct way. They love to take pictures of their food. Definitely a lot of drugs, because let's be honest, and not try to hide it (Viagra, BP medicine, cholesterol medicine, antibiotics for urinary tract infections, etc.). The creepy thing for me is that everything looks the same, no matter how long you drive around in the little children's cars from town to town. Green grass that must be no more than 1-2 cm so that the neighbors don't gossip and a palm tree or two, identical type houses with a few different models to choose from. Their own little roads for their little children's cars also called golf carts. They spend a lot of money on their kids' cars so they look badass, because it's cool, in the absence of other status symbols. I don't understand how you can call it beautiful when everything looks the same, it hurts my eyes to see the same thing over and over and over. You don't see a single one smoking cigarettes, whereas it's cool to have a cigar in your mouth like their bosses had when these boomers were growing up. For them (the men), golf and cigars are status symbols. The problem can arise when age really sets in and you can no longer be as active. Maybe you lose your spouse, etc. It can very quickly lead to isolation. I don't believe the rumors that they are all swingers. Just because they help each other change diapers, there doesn't have to be anything naughty about it. The good thing is that most people sell their previous houses so that those homes can come on the market. The price range is adjusted from the former middle class (which doesn't really exist anymore) up to the upper middle class (which has their own areas in The Truman Show), all based on the money they get from selling the WAY overpriced homes they used to have lived in, and pension savings that have not been eroded by inflation. Despite all this, it still appeals to me. More correctly one of the many European versions of the same, well maybe also TV. Well aware that I will also slowly enter childhood when I reach that age. I understand very well that they move to the artificial world, because unfortunately our society does not really allow space for older people to be allowed to live and play like "old children". They are expected to sit in the hammock and rock all day, which is not a life that appeals to many people. Instead of society benefiting greatly from their enormous knowledge through a long working life. It's almost become weird to look old because we don't see healthy older people in the cityscapes anymore, which is sad, and only gets worse when all those people are hiding in this artificial world. But I understand them. The reason I want to do the same when I get old is because I expect this artificial world to reflect my generation's childhood when I reach that age. They have a lot of RUclips channels where they are clearly afraid to mention the negative aspects of this closed "children's world". They struggle to become known, such that other residents see them as the cool kids at school, which may make them immune to gossip. Because who wants to be referred to badly on social media. To the politically correct children, I want to say that I am aware that this is an older thread if they haven't fallen asleep before they get here.
Some man said he wants a woman that has money. I get that he is lonely and that he has made a great life there for himself but he could be with a woman that he is very happy with that doesn’t have much money..
Before watching the film I thought the director was an immature liberal jerk, hating on the paradise that mostly white affluent conservatives created for themselves in The Villages retirement community in Florida. However after watching the film I have to admit it was great and worthy of the awards it should win. Excellent film but very real and very sad, even while filmed in a community whose purpose is helping people find happiness in their retirement. I felt heartbroken for the characters but was happy that by the end they all had made some progress towards understanding themselves and their situations a little better, and all made some self improvement. Things turned out not as bleak and hopeless as they first appeared. As the film demonstrated, God made all the difference through the Christian ministers and counselors and their prayers. Our heavenly Father always answers prayers, but not always in the ways we want or expect. He knows everything and therefore Father always knows best! Let's be always helping each other and praying for each other regardless of politcal parties or all the other baggage that we all bring to The Villages or any other place we choose to live!
I’m on the left and I do get annoyed when filmmakers just look down on other people that they don’t agree with (to a certain extent) and to be fair, the right does that too. I’ve lived in many different cities conservative and liberal and it’s really been a great experience. I once judged people like that and I’m really happy to have had my experiences
When he said, "Well, no longer President Trump, Thank GOD",; I wonder how he would answer me if I asked him if he thinks our country is better off now under Biden.
![ATEEZ(에이티즈) - [GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2] Preview](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4PfgRPBUVo/mqdefault.jpg)
I find it interesting that he continually talks about the retirees are isolating themselves. As someone looking to retire soon, I find it attractive that there are a lot of people in a similar position than I am. I find my life isolating now as my children have grown, and friends have moved away…
Yes, it’s interesting. I have been to Sun City Texas visiting someone and it definitely seems the residents are having a great time.
My thoughts exactly. As my wife and I contemplate retirement with retiring friends moving from the north along with family it has become more isolating by the year.
My husband and I relocated to The Villages several months after this video was released. I just watced it again, and after living in The Villages a little over two years I can say in all honesty our lives are nothing like the lives of those portrayed in this video. Maybe it is just us, but we are not social butterflies and most of our socialization and activity participation happens with our neighbors who are now our dear friends. Our lives may appear boring to some especially mine because I very much enoy spending time in my new home with my cats and in my yard which is bursting with all types of tropical plants. I make no excuses for my "boring" Villages life because I spent most of my 44 years in the full-time workforce employed as an ER R.N. and worked every shift known to man along with weekends and holidays which left little time to spend just enjoying my home, pets, family, friends, or to just to stop and smell the roses. And I am very content at this time in my life following a very action filled work life to just be and not have to always do which I can and do live this type of life in The Villages. This video shows just a snap shot of several of the 150k residents that live in The Villages, but believe me, there are many outliers living quiet lives like myself and my husband living here too. And we chose The Villages for the centeal Florida climate and it being away from the coast along we both enjoy playing some golf and we can do that pretty much whenever we want on the many executive golf courses which is paid for by our very reasonable amenity fee.
Thank you for your comment!
Just watched this. It really drove home to me that human struggles are the same-whether you're out in the real world, or "rich and comfortably retired" in the Villages. Loneliness, uncertainty, fear of not fitting in and rejection.
The cinematography produced an eerie edge. All the perfectly planned and constructed buildings, colours, and fun-filled activities of every kind. There's some desperation in the need to eradicate all unpleasantness and boredom in the "twilight of life." The fact that the whole thing is a massively successful business venture is only touched on early in the film. It's easy to forget that the Villages is associated with and even part of the death care industry.
That scene where a couple was viewing a home was poignant to me. The woman said she liked that she could see so many palm trees and felt security knowing that that vista out front would be in the same order in the future. Yeah, five-even ten years on, the agent said. No, twenty years down the line, she countered. Followed by a shot of a street light that branched into two lamps; one of them was spoilt with its cover askew. As if to show that things _could_ go wrong in the Disneyland of retirement homes, but The Villages was just very skilled at keeping up a perfect fantasy: the illusion of constancy. With its own newspaper, news station, and everything.
Definitely a quiet dystopian tone running through the whole thing, with occasional sparks of humanity from the cast. I like how "The Villages" is built up as a character through the storytelling in the film-just like how a house can be the villain in a horror flick. "The Villages" is an entity in itself, benign but insidious: those residents were lulled by its fairytale promise and stay on like frogs-"until I croak," Lynn said.
Barbara has been there for more than a decade and hasn't left, although her home state calls to her. The closing scene with her leaves more questions than answers. Living in The Villages is a loop, trying to answer the question "What makes a good life at the end of it?"
Enjoyed the film. I think the director is good and has many more stories to tell.
Wonderfully stated - glad you liked the video. Thanks for your comment!
I did feel a John Hughes vibe while watching the film. There is an eternal adolescence woven into the different storylines of some very real and painful experiences. It's like the ultimate "coming of age" movie - but instead of entering (and accepting) the "next" phase of life, these individuals are facing the end of life.
From Some Kind of Wonderful to Some Kind of Heaven! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I loved that comment Monica. Im 63 female and live in the Silicon Valley area of San Francisco. I can tell you, getting old is horrible when you can't go find a job like you used to be able to .. many dont even think older women like me can even use a phone. I worked in Finance and Law yet we are painfully stereotyped. My life now is just like being insulted every time i leave the house. Men who used to stare at me now smile with a pitiful body swerve to avoid any connection and for a second i think I'm younger and think they might talk..but they dont. Im now overweight due to having no job or friends or family here. I just stay home. But hey,,, im happy. No more broken hearts or fashion fears.. but im worried now my partner might die and leave me.😑 To see my face fade each day in the mirror is so scary.
Watched the film this afternoon and it was truly brilliant. We have a family member and her spouse who live in The Villages. One of them has slid far into the QAnon conspiracy theory head and it's frightening to observe. Exceptionally strange place. Hard to imagine why people would choose to live in an environment that involves cutting oneself off from anything that seems to feel alien or unpleasant. To consciously opt for a nearly all-White, all Republican, all "Christian," child-free bubble over reality seems extremely odd -- like a drug in itself.
The film is visually stunning and the music that was composed just for this documentary was perfect. Lance Oppenheim and crew have a wonderful future ahead of them.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Kes.
One must realize that from a political standpoint the villages is majority conservative ( as are most retiree age folks). There still is a strong liberal base in the villages.
Folks in many areas / neighborhoods tend to gravitate to folks that are like minded.
This reality can be difficult for folks to realize.
Nothing & nowhere is perfect. There are, however, an awful lot of happily living people there.
Going to school here feels like the Black Hole Sun music video, or the Truman Show. It's great to see people happy but it's a lot overtime
Great addition - thanks for your comment!
The Villages is scary 😧
Have you been to the Villages lol
Why? Is it not diverse enough for you lol?
@@gregs8685 if you’re looking for an STD, the villages is the place for you…
Oh good. I’m going in a few weeks……
Not really. I have in-laws there. I have no desire to retire there, but it's def better than a nursing home and sitting alone waiting to die.
Sure people want to be safe and they want nothing to change. But things always change. The lady that has this husband in the movie, her husband is doing drugs. And he has a problem. She needs help but who really needs help is her husband. I pray that he gets the help he needs to stop doing the drugs anyone. And the woman that is alone that lost her husband. She is sad and lonely. I hope she finds someone who can bring her joy back, that is what I feel God has done for me tho…
As a Psychologist and just as a human, I feel this film was meant to be a farce and was twisted in a way to try to humiliate these people. That may not be where you want to retire or where I want to retire, but it’s not stupid what they’re trying to do there. And you picked out the most bizarre examples, and twisted it into something ugly or ridiculous. I could take a day of your life and I could edit it in a way that makes you look silly. I guess you think you’re a smart guy for doing this, that laughing at others is entertaining to some with small minds, but I think what you did is sad and I think it’s unfair to this group of people and to this community.
Sorry to hear you think so - thank you for your thoughts and comment
It was a pleasure to meet this gentleman in a random place
Glad to hear that! Thanks for your comment!
I haven't seen this but I think it would be a blast to live there!!! I'm a native Floridian, a conservative and a Baby Boomer!!!!! To be honest The Villages is how planned communities are which are plenty in Florida.. Although these communities in my area aren't 55+ there are three in my area...Celebration, Baldwin Park, and Avalon Park that are self contained or at least close to it.
The portrayal of Disney for Seniors is totally accurate.
My question is why 139.996 Village residents
after working for 50 years, raising children, weathering the cold war (duck and cover) numerous military skirmishes around the world, woke. and only 1 world championship for the Cubbies and da Bears, while providing the opportunity for film producers to follow their dreams using the English language versus German, Japanese or Russian
are we not entitled to the Villages life style ?
Just maybe recent college graduates may not have the life experiences to answer that.
PS Cleveland has 65 sunny days a year
Good point - thanks for your comment!
Consider if other generations made their own “villages”. It would look like the 70s or 80s.
Interesting point - thanks so much for your comment!
that is the whole point. Go and do it. How is that a bad thing?
I hope the man that is living in his truck gets some help. I hope someone comes to get him and he gets help…
Stepford Wives
LOL
In the first version from the 70s, the husbands of Stepford were getting laid with their "wives" all the time. That's the Villages that I have heard about.
@@ntnrocket1 think 🤔 of sex in the villages like a lake in the desert 🏜️… a complete and total illusion.
I was somewhat confused by the end of the movie and the fates of the people. I wasn’t sure if those were old shots to just add a dramatic touch or if that was actually the last thing they filmed.
Wow they have lambs and Pets and everything they want there. So spoiled.
I can’t find it in Australia…. I so badly want to see this!
Docplay
It’s not worth it
It confirms that people go back to childhood when they get old. Disney World. Gossip. Dancing lazily around their small, almost identical towns. Splashing in the swimming pool (hopefully there is plenty of chlorine in that water). Children's shoes that flash in the dark. Pickle ball and golf all day. Proudly marching around like tampo majors, with skirts obscuring the view of their diapers. Holds garage music gatherings so they can play like overgrown kids. All in all, a place where they can go back to the childhood they remember. Childish in a politically correct way. They love to take pictures of their food.
Definitely a lot of drugs, because let's be honest, and not try to hide it (Viagra, BP medicine, cholesterol medicine, antibiotics for urinary tract infections, etc.).
The creepy thing for me is that everything looks the same, no matter how long you drive around in the little children's cars from town to town. Green grass that must be no more than 1-2 cm so that the neighbors don't gossip and a palm tree or two, identical type houses with a few different models to choose from. Their own little roads for their little children's cars also called golf carts. They spend a lot of money on their kids' cars so they look badass, because it's cool, in the absence of other status symbols. I don't understand how you can call it beautiful when everything looks the same, it hurts my eyes to see the same thing over and over and over.
You don't see a single one smoking cigarettes, whereas it's cool to have a cigar in your mouth like their bosses had when these boomers were growing up. For them (the men), golf and cigars are status symbols.
The problem can arise when age really sets in and you can no longer be as active. Maybe you lose your spouse, etc. It can very quickly lead to isolation.
I don't believe the rumors that they are all swingers. Just because they help each other change diapers, there doesn't have to be anything naughty about it.
The good thing is that most people sell their previous houses so that those homes can come on the market. The price range is adjusted from the former middle class (which doesn't really exist anymore) up to the upper middle class (which has their own areas in The Truman Show), all based on the money they get from selling the WAY overpriced homes they used to have lived in, and pension savings that have not been eroded by inflation.
Despite all this, it still appeals to me. More correctly one of the many European versions of the same, well maybe also TV. Well aware that I will also slowly enter childhood when I reach that age. I understand very well that they move to the artificial world, because unfortunately our society does not really allow space for older people to be allowed to live and play like "old children". They are expected to sit in the hammock and rock all day, which is not a life that appeals to many people. Instead of society benefiting greatly from their enormous knowledge through a long working life. It's almost become weird to look old because we don't see healthy older people in the cityscapes anymore, which is sad, and only gets worse when all those people are hiding in this artificial world. But I understand them. The reason I want to do the same when I get old is because I expect this artificial world to reflect my generation's childhood when I reach that age.
They have a lot of RUclips channels where they are clearly afraid to mention the negative aspects of this closed "children's world". They struggle to become known, such that other residents see them as the cool kids at school, which may make them immune to gossip. Because who wants to be referred to badly on social media.
To the politically correct children, I want to say that I am aware that this is an older thread if they haven't fallen asleep before they get here.
Very well put...thanks so much for your comment, and for watching!
0:50 That dog is RAPING THAT CAT!!! Every rumor I have heard about The Villages must be true!
Just because someone doesn’t doesn’t mean that she isn’t worth spending the rest of your life with…
He lives with his parents.
From the New York Times. Well, we all know what we can expect from that. Talk about bursting the "bubble."
this isnt the movie. saved you 5 minutes like to help the next guy
Some man said he wants a woman that has money. I get that he is lonely and that he has made a great life there for himself but he could be with a woman that he is very happy with that doesn’t have much money..
The best thing about this place is that they are having a church service…
Watch it on hulu very interesfing
Before watching the film I thought the director was an immature liberal jerk, hating on the paradise that mostly white affluent conservatives created for themselves in The Villages retirement community in Florida. However after watching the film I have to admit it was great and worthy of the awards it should win. Excellent film but very real and very sad, even while filmed in a community whose purpose is helping people find happiness in their retirement. I felt heartbroken for the characters but was happy that by the end they all had made some progress towards understanding themselves and their situations a little better, and all made some self improvement. Things turned out not as bleak and hopeless as they first appeared. As the film demonstrated, God made all the difference through the Christian ministers and counselors and their prayers. Our heavenly Father always answers prayers, but not always in the ways we want or expect. He knows everything and therefore Father always knows best! Let's be always helping each other and praying for each other regardless of politcal parties or all the other baggage that we all bring to The Villages or any other place we choose to live!
I’m on the left and I do get annoyed when filmmakers just look down on other people that they don’t agree with (to a certain extent) and to be fair, the right does that too. I’ve lived in many different cities conservative and liberal and it’s really been a great experience. I once judged people like that and I’m really happy to have had my experiences
So glad to hear you enjoyed it...thanks for your comment!
When he said, "Well, no longer President Trump, Thank GOD",; I wonder how he would answer me if I asked him if he thinks our country is better off now under Biden.
Well at least biden didn't encourage his supporters to storm the nations capitol
Reality sucks. Give me The Villages!
Thanks for watching!