With the obvious comparison being the Rob Reiner Stephen King adaptation Stand By Me, it should come as little surprise that Goodbye, Don Glees!, from director Atsuko Ishizuka (A Place Further than the Universe), is as visually grandiose as it is narratively affecting. From the simpler character designs to the expansive, jaw-dropping photorealism of golden waterfalls and endless night skies, the film demonstrates its ability to show the world from the character’s point of view, as 15 and 16-year-olds would see it: intimidating, thrilling, and endless.
The film follows longtime friends, Roma (Natsuki Hanae), Toto (Yuki Kaji), and their recent addition to the group, Drop (Ayumu Murase). Local outcasts, the three call themselves the “Don Glees” as they go about their daily, backyard adventures. One such adventure stirs panic, however, when a nearby forest fire is blamed on them after they leave failed fireworks behind. To prove their innocence, they set off into the woods to find a drone they’d been using that hopefully will show photo evidence that they were nowhere near the fire. This expedition is just the framework however for a greater, more timeless story, as the three realize their divulging paths in life while also growing closer together, as 48 hours of mishaps and accidents befall them.
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Coming-of-age stories are so often effective because they tackle such shared experiences that most people, in their own, singular ways, have lived through. Being a teenager is as exhilarating as it is often an endurance test. Everyday hurdles might feel like the end of the world, and what Goodbye, Don Glees! does so well is that it presents that negative aspect of being an adolescent with the flip side of how vast and glorious small beauties can be. From fireworks to a lone waterfall in the forest, shooting stars to a photo captured of blue flowers with a red ladybug arched in mid-flight, Ishizuka, who both directed and wrote the film, captures the youthful, idealistic exuberance that comes from beauty not easily defined.
With art direction from Ayano Okamoto, the film is, at times, stunning in the sheer expansive landscapes that are built, from the forests in rural Japan to the peaks of Iceland, shimmering with a solo red phone booth at its center. This creates a clean juxtaposition to the character designs from Takahiro Yoshimatsu, which embody a playful liveliness, befitting of the main trio. The big moments are exaggerated, from their running from a bear being a whirlwind of limbs and panic shown in the gratuitous slumps of their shoulders, and the way their faces contort in contempt for the others when they’re not being heard.
Bolstered by three tremendous voice performances from Hanae, Kaji, and Murase (listeners will recognize them from Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Haikyuu!, and more, respectively), a significant selling point is how much we believe in the three and their friendship, and how formative their time together was, however substantial or brief. With a tear-inducing ending, those dynamics between the three are instrumental as we are wholly invested in their growth and escapades.
It becomes clear early how inconsequential the actual quest for the drone is. It’s less a function of the plot and more reasoning for these three to hear one another after time apart and the distance different life paths can force on friends at that time in their lives. Toto is questioning his want to become a doctor as the stress of cram school eats away at him, while Roma seeks a life away from the small farm he’d all but given up to. And Drop? Drop is the most enigmatic of the three, acting as both an anchor tying the other two closer together, all the while withholding major personal details. It’s what makes the final notes so genuinely affecting. While some friendships are given new life as they grow, and age, often into even stronger, more durable bonds, some are frozen in time – just as integral, no less impactful, but with far more questions left unanswered.
Goodbye, Don Glees! even manages to add a level of grace to that last aspect. It’s unfortunate that, due to some pacing at the end, it results in the last chapter that plays more like an extended epilogue, but to cut any of it would also be a disservice to the story. The sentimentality is, in moments, gratuitous, but isn’t that what being young is? So many feelings all the time and often all at once?
With its humor, beautiful and all-encompassing visuals, and a heartfelt story at its center about the trials and triumphs of growing up, Goodbye, Don Glees! is a messy but engaging and emotional feature.
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Watch the teaser for ‘Goodbye, Don Glees! below. The film arrives in theaters September 14, 2022.
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