FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO SEE GOODBYE, DON GLEES! THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

Lost in the Reel’s video review for Goodbye, Don Glees!

GKIDS, one of my favorite distributors of international animation, is back with another limited engagement this September, with… Goodbye Don Glees!  The studio has had a jam-packed year full of ups-and-downs, with huge hits and major disappointments… but, none of their films in 2022 have surprised me, quite like their new coming-of-age adventure.  Though I have to admit, out of all of their titles this year, Don Glees! was the one I knew the least about… and I am completely unfamiliar with writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka’s previous work.  But, this sweet and touching picture really swept me off my feet and took my breath away.  

WHAT IS GOODBYE, DON GLEES! ALL ABOUT?

Goodbye, Don Glees! follows teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop… Who call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life.

A BIT OF A ROCKY START…

Goodbye Don Glees! starts off a little rocky, as we are introduced to our trio of teenage boys.  The film immediately foreshadows its heartbreaking conclusion, preparing us for the worst… and then throws us into a few manic and silly set pieces developing who these characters are.  These first fifteen minutes or so, feel a bit haphazard in execution as I was struggling to grasp what exactly this film was and where it was going.  It’s not until the movie’s focus tightens, as the boys are thrust into the depths of the forest with no clear way out, that it begins to blossom.  And when I say focus, I don’t mean on story… because there is very little of that in Don Glees.  This is much more of a reflection on the loss-of-innocence and self-discovery that takes place during the journey into adulthood. 

IS THE FILM ABLE TO JUGGLE ALL OF ITS TONES?

The film does a great job juggling its serious, mature aspirations along with its more childlike playfulness and nail-biting adventure.  One moment these three outcasts are meditating on their youth and trying to come to terms with the difficult road ahead… and the next, they are dancing and singing in the light of a bonfire or being swept up in a raging current towards a waterfall.  When tensions mount as the boys begin to realize that life might be taking them all in completely different directions, is also the time that Don Glees’ mixture of tones fully comes together. 

That earth-shattering moment when you discover that your best friend’s path cannot be your own.  That the people in your life are there to guide you, but you alone, are responsible in paving your own way.  These universal epiphanies are so beautifully realized in this film, that it will certainly take you back to the time in your life when you first began to grasp them.  On top of all that, Don Glees is full of so many valuable lessons, that I find it would be the perfect coming-of-age film for families to watch together and then discuss its deeper meanings afterward.  

HOW IS THE ANIMATION?

All of this is enlivened with some of the most dazzling animation I have seen all year.  The bright colors explode off of the screen and the backdrops are jaw-droppingly exquisite.  From the light of the sun illuminating the darkness of the forest to fireworks bursting and the aurora borealis billowing in the sky, and birds soaring through lush canyons filled with cascading waterfalls… the landscapes are sure to take your breath away. And when the movie starts to transcend the natural realm, and of time and space… you begin to truly understand the importance of this medium to this tale.  There’s something so small and intimate about the story being told, yet it takes place on such a grand scale.  Because of this, I feel as if Goodbye, Don Glees! demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.  

A BIT ON THE MELODRAMATIC SIDE…

I do think the film relies a bit too heavily on the melodrama though.  I understand that these are young, angsty, and emotional teen boys… but, the gallons of tears that are poured and the amount of over-the-top declarations of feeling, felt a little excessive.  I nearly hit my threshold for such things, but luckily it reigned itself in before it got to be too intolerable.  And at only 95 minutes, I felt like the movie was rushing along, especially in the integral middle act.  This is when the character arcs were making a dramatic shift and I would have liked to have had more time to live in these moments.  

ONE OF GKIDS’ BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR?

Despite those issues, I think this is one of GKIDS’ best releases this year… if not, the best.  Goodbye, Don Glees! is a movie that dares you to dream, to fight for your happiness and to expand your horizons.  As our characters grapple with the fact that there is a whole wide world out there beyond their small town, I couldn’t help, but think how lucky we are as film lovers… that we get to experience these labors of love and works of art, from all parts of this vast, far-reaching globe up on the silver screen.  Now, that truly is the magic of the movies.  

Goodbye, Don Glees! will be In Theaters on September 14th (Subbed), 18th (Dubbed) & 20th (Subbed), 2022!

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