Matt Goodwin
A very insightful documentary covering the many facets of aging. I laughed out loud several times and was equally touched and saddened at times. Very honest and unafraid. Sam as a character is complex and how he moves forward and is kind and compassionate in the face of serious struggle is nothing short of inspirational. Several of the characters in the film seem too good to be true, but the fact that they are makes is all the more endearing. I really appreciate the breadth of the topics covered, hitting on various fascets of the human experience as death is faced in such different ways. I highly recommend this documentary for the perspective it gives on life, regardless of your current age.
michmeyers2347
Simple, concise, and beautiful, one of the strengths of Scheib's The Mayor is that it does not need some sort of over-arcing narrator attempting to explain the significance of the film. Rather, there is such strength in the emotional resonance of each of the people whom Scheib follows in this Dallas retirement home that the viewer remains captivated from the first minute of the film to the last. Scheib moves beyond the typical archetypes of love between our nation's senior citizens, revealing that love, companionship, and commitment can be as complex and intricate among those nearing 90 as it can be for someone just beginning adolescence. These people are not reduced to characters. They remain real throughout, experiencing real happiness, real humor, and real loss, and it is this honesty that the viewer must most appreciate.
Eitan Nir
Jared Scheib's documentary gives you a charming look into life at old age. The film follows a character, Sam Berger, who is commonly known as "The Mayor" around his retirement home. He, and the characters around him, paint life in old age in a way that I had not considered before. The atmosphere at the retirement home almost feels like a college dormitory and the inhabitants certainly know how to live it up! In fact, my dad, upon finishing watching the film, turned to my mom and said, "So when are we moving in?" The characters are both extremely likable and relatable. They help us understand that old age is just another chapter in the book of life. I aspire to have the outlook on life that Sam Berger has.Well done, Jared, on a charming and heart-warming film. I enjoyed it very much.
Randy E. Aguebor
It's often a foregone conclusion that the older people get, the further behind them their best years recede.In "The Mayor", director Jared Scheib's feature documentary debut, Sam Berger and a cast of fellow senior citizens provide ample evidence that while the mile markers in the rear-view mirror may be many and the sun may be setting, there's still plenty of road ahead for those with the drive to continue the journey.Filmed in a retirement community in Dallas, Texas, "The Mayor" follows the titular mayor, Sam, and his peers while yielding glimpses of the retirees' day-to-day lives.From relationships and breakfast-table gossip to the difficulty of waking and preparing to meet the day, the insights we view through the camera's lens range from mundane to uncomfortable, from hilarious to heartbreaking."The Mayor" is an unequivocally stirring and poignant piece about growing older that moved me to tears more than once.I would recommend it to any fan of cinéma vérité filmmaking, engaging observations on humanity, and charming characters.10 out of 10.
AD
