The Last Resort

Inspired by a 1970s photography-documentary project (that was tragically interrupted by murder), filmmakers Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch revisit the bygone days of Miami and South Beach, FL, as major retirement havens, principally for elderly Jews (many of whom were Holocaust refugees). In an environment that was dominated by the elderly, two young and energetic professional shutterbugs—Gary Monroe and Andy Sweet—captured sympathetic character portraits of the aged residents and their fluorescent-kitsch environment, before changing times (including an enormous influx of Cuban refugees), mortality, and crime ultimately altered the social landscape. In addition to that story, The Last Resort also tells the tale of Sweet’s shocking death in 1982 and the subsequent loss and eventual recovery of his incredible photo archive. Extras include a Q&A with the directors, deleted scenes (one with Pulitzer-winning interviewee Edna Buchanan, an ace Miami crime reporter/author, talking about favorite cases), Tabsch’s 2014 short documentary Cherry Pop (about a millionaire Fort Lauderdale couple’s pampered show cat who attained feline cult status in her short lifetime), and photo galleries. An offbeat portrait of a bygone time and place in America, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)