A Florida retirement community is said to be hiding a "sinister" truth within its "paradise" neighbourhood that has been likened to the Truman Show.
The Villages is a sprawling development for over-55s in Central Florida, where residents sip cocktails with neighbours, live in homes with manicured lawns and travel to the market square on their golf carts.
Happy music can be heard over the loudspeakers to promote positivity and to keep up this energy, ambulances reportedly turn off their sirens and funeral cars are said to be unmarked.
It has its own newspaper and radio station, which is run by the community's management, and only covers positive items.
The manicured lawns have signs on them to warn residents to keep children and pets away as they are pumped with chemicals - to keep up its pristine appearance.
The Villages boasts 54 golf courses, 70 pools and 3,000 social clubs.
But America's largest retirement community has caused controversy among residents who live in the same area outside the neighbourhood.
It is understood 150,500 people - who are known as Villagers - live across the 81 "villages", which is just an hour north of Orlando.
The Schwartz family who developed the area are now billionaires.
Valerie Blankenbyl, who spent time living in the community while shooting her documentary 'The Bubble' told news.com.au : "The Villages is a place that is so honed towards perfection that it cannot uphold that perfection, it’s just not possible."
The Bubble was shown this week at Sydney Antenna film festival as Valerie likened the community to The Truman Show.
The Truman Show stars actor Jim Carrey and is about a man who is trapped in a perfect town that turns out to be fake and made up of actors.
Valerie also said most villagers will not hear anything negative against their community, which is promoted as an “active retirement community”.
Daily programmes are packed with lunchtime karaoke, cardio drumming, belly dancing and cheerleading lessons, even synchronised golf cart displays.
Valerie also says their days are filled with lots of day drinking.
In the documentary, one resident says to his wife "happy whatever day this is" as he drinks a cocktail on his veranda.
The filmmaker also said the residents she met were friendly.
One is quoted in the film as saying: "We know we’re in a bubble. But it’s a nice bubble”.
However, outside the development, critics say there is something "sinister" about its idyllic appearance.
As soon as you leave the development you can see local opposition, it is hard to escape.
Valerie said: "It wasn’t something that you could escape because as soon as you drove outside the gates you see all these signs that say ‘Stop the Villages’."
People who live nearby have raised concerns about their reported lack of accountability and apparent encroachment into established communities.
Valerie said: "You kept hearing inside The Villages that there was nothing before where The Villages now are.
“But there wasn’t nothing. There was a community there and it was where people used to gather and now it’s just all gone.”
Campaigners against the community say the Villages use the mass amount of water to keep the grass lawns green and the pools filled, and claim the development has lowered the water table and led to shortages and sinkholes.
One of the biggest thorns of all for the outsiders, is how the management company tries to separate it from its neighbours.
Owners installed boom gates on roads going into the development, giving it the appearance of being gated.
However, it is on public land and locals were fooled for years thinking they were barred from entering.
Valerie also said the management tried to make her film crew leave and tried to stop residents from speaking to them.
She added that many Villagers didn't know about the controversy or weren't bothered about life outside the bubble - and instead they were focusing on staying positive and cheery.
Valerie says an academic who studies ageing told her it was one of the most troubling aspects of life in The Villages.
She said: "She thought The Villages was the most ageist place there is in the world.
“Because even in a place that’s full of older people, you aren’t allowed to be old or age.
“You still have to be fit and young and beautiful and healthy.
“And sickness, death and dying is not part of that.
“It’s sort of like an extreme form of ageism that has manifested in a retirement community.”
The management company has been approached for comment.
