Florida is the most popular and desirable retirement destination in the United States, so much so that there are now many retirement communities across the state. Nearly 20 percent of Florida residents are retirees over the age of 65, and that number continues to grow. More and more people choose to retire early, ready to enjoy life away from the pressure of work and career development.
Vice’s documentary, The Bubble, features The Villages, the largest senior community in Florida and the United States. It follows six retirees who currently live in The Villages and discover what it was like to spend their golden years in this unique community. From humble beginnings as a trailer park with a handful of residents in the 1970s, The Villages today has more than 150,000 residents living in an area larger than Manhattan and the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States.
The Villages offers seniors an idyllic retirement haven. This is a well-crafted development for affluent retirees, offering not just apartments but swimming pools, golf and driving ranges, restaurants, bars, supermarkets and even a world-class hospital. You won’t find a funeral home, however, as it will conjure up reality. Many activities are offered, including dance, aerobic drums, tai chi, karaoke and more. They have their own newspaper and radio station, no less than a Fox News subsidiary.
Living here is unique because it is an “age-restricted” community; only seniors are allowed. Old as they may be, and some feeling the usual elder pain, these golf cart-driving seniors are finally ready to party. After years of hard work and sacrifice, they now put themselves first. There’s so much to do, many don’t even have time to visit family! It seemed like a wonderful place, free of the loneliness and age-related prejudices that many older adults in today’s society often feel.
But, on the other side, in this case, actually on the other side of the fence, the village brings with it some very uncomfortable realities. As the community has grown, rapid development has taken over, creating tough times for the original residents as many simply opt to sell. What was once a ranch and an idyllic landscape is now a network of cookie-cutter homes devoid of any natural pastel colors.
While the village’s “prisoners” are happily isolated in their self-proclaimed “bubble,” residents in surrounding counties worry that public roads are now fenced off, they’re using too much water, and are now subject to increasingly regional controls. Residents are also nearly 100 percent white Republicans, many members of the NRA and ardent Trump supporters, though not explicitly, but the perception is they want to stay that way. They also don’t like criticism of their community.
The Village is an interesting study of how ageism, family, sociopolitical issues, and the basic human need for community intersect and collide.
Directed by: Valerie Blankenbyl
