Retirement Plan

Greetings again from the darkness. It's never easy to write a review for a 7-minute-long animated short film. The task becomes even more difficult when one certainly doesn't want to give away any details or even quote the film. What I will say is congratulations to writer-director John Kelly and co-writer Tara Lawall for this 'nail on the head' short film that surely many will relate to.

Actor Domhnall Gleeson provides the voice of Ray, an Irish gent who fritters away the day planning all the things he pledges to accomplish once he retires. Each item on his long list of 'to-do's' begins with "I will ...". But more importantly, the dozens of items are mostly the same that would be on pretty much everyone's list. And that's the point being made by the filmmakers. It's all too common for each of us to put off our areas of interest and our dream accomplishments until the time is right ... until we have the time.

We envision that time as 'retirement', when we are no longer working. In no way does the film diminish the importance of having dreams or a wish list. It merely points out that if we wait until we have time, it's highly likely that time will not be our friend. So, while you are busy dreaming, get busy living! How long is your list? It's a great message from a thought-provoking short film.

Screening at 2025 SXSW.