SOME KIND OF HEAVEN

Anne and Reggie have been married for 47 years, but their lives together seem to be drifting apart - probably because Reggie has decided he's now a free spirit, and spends his time with drugs and meditation while he awaits death. Anne is a loyal citizen to The Village, but her limits will be tested as her spouse slowly descends into chaos, evolving into a desolate and yearning resident.

On the other end of the scale is Dennis, a Peter Pan-like character who never grew up from his days as a 20-year-old. Dennis is a single man and a hustler, on the run from his home state and living as a nomad in his car, moving from place to place within The Village to avoid detection. You see, Dennis is not an official resident, so uses his charisma and manipulation to try and crawl his way into a relationship - and, more importantly, a roof over his head.

Then there's Barbara. Sweet, lonely Barbara, who has the difficult job of being the only beacon of hope and sympathy in this whirlwind of a place. Barbara is a widower from Boston who only moved to The Village because her husband fell for the fantasy that was sold to him. Unfortunately, he passed away soon after, leaving Barbara to fend for herself in a place she has never been comfortable in, and trying to discover what it means to live again without her spouse. Mark my words, you will fall for the sheer delight that is Barbara.

All these characters, in their own quirky and unique way, are all ultimately after the same thing: fulfilment. Even in retirement, they all seek love, companionship, meaning and purpose.

The film opens with some of the residents excitingly proclaiming that "everything is here", "you never have to leave", and that we now as an audience will get a peek into "nirvana". Part interview, part fly-on-the-wall, and a whole lot of madness, 'Some Kind of Heaven' somehow feels like a documentary that was staged to look like a documentary. With slow zooms into close-ups and aspect ratios akin to modern-day horrors, you would be forgiven for thinking that everybody on screen might be a murderer. There is something almost sinister and unnerving in the way Oppenheim shoots his subjects, but it's so captivating and raw that it's impossible not to get carried away. The figures on screen are so often isolated, and when they are part of something bigger, you can't help but feel you might be watching 'Twin Peaks' or 'Blue Velvet'.

However bizarre the environment and landscape of The Village is projected, it's ultimately the characters that hold the structure of this film together. The pursuit of their desires can be uncomfortable and even sad at times, but they present such a vulnerable nature that you're fascinated by their journeys and hope for their survival. Surviving in this instance might be literal, but it's also their overcoming of fears, their acceptance of a new stage of life, or their newfound awakenings.

I cannot wait to see what Oppenheim decides to do next. Whether it be another documentary or even a short, he has an eye for visual storytelling, and he's clearly skilled at finding the right stories to tell. It can't have been easy to narrow his focus to four residents out of 130,000 at The Village, but Oppenheim showcases the capabilities and trust in his own expertise, that he was able to pull it off.

And pull it off he does. I have not seen a documentary like it, and I doubt I ever will again. For that alone, 'Some Kind of Heaven' should be seen. And for the sheer audaciousness of the subject and the characters at play, 'Some Kind of Heaven' deserves to be noted.