Docuweeks is a program of documentary films that play in L.A. and New York. Inclusion in the series will probably qualify all the films chosen to be considered for Oscar nominations. One of the shorts playing as part of the program is Kings Point.
Kings Point is a retirement community in Florida. Back in the 70s and 80s, many people fled the urban blight that was part of New York for what they expected to be a calm and pleasant life in the warmth of Florida. They moved into a place designed just for them. All the people there are roughly the same age and from similar backgrounds. There are activities to share in. The dream of retirement living. After years of working, now they can live lives of leisure.
But is that dream all that dreamy?
This is a film that helps us to consider what it means to grow older in America. There certainly are some enjoyable parts. The people in the community have friendships and even loving relationships. But there are also downsides to being here, such as having moved away from children and grandchildren and perhaps eventually spending years alone after the death of a spouse.
The film is only about thirty minutes, and that time is equally divided between the positive and negative aspects of life in Kings Point. Director Sari Gilman gives us insightful and sometimes intimate looks into these people (mostly women) in their “golden years.” This is not about how we dump and ignore seniors, but it is about how we may not pay as much attention to what life can be like as we age. While mortality is an issue that faces us all as we grow older, so too is the quality of the life we live in the years ahead of us. Kings Point is a poignant look at issues that face all of us who are on the downhill side of the road to retirement or for those who have parents or grandparents that face such lives.
March 25th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
I found this documentary bittersweet as these elderly residents face being in love with someone and not having the feeling returned. There is also the reality of isolation and loneliness that these twilight years entail. As an atheist, I was surprised that I do not recall anyone mentioning any anticipation of an afterlife. Will have to watch again to see if I missed it.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:30 am
Interesting that you note no mention of afterlife. It’s been quite a while since I saw this, but I don’t expect there was much if any discussion of that. Actually, I prefer it that way. It makes us focus more on the here and now that these people are in. It doesn’t allow us to gloss over their present lives with some promise of afterlife–something people of faith are often guilty of.