Retirement Plan: Review

18th March 2025

Retirement Plan: Review. By Robert Ewing.

When I write this review, I am 25 years old, and 26 is fast approaching. Time moves at lightning speed; January feels like it was just a week ago, and my trip to Toronto for TIFF seems like it was a month ago. Although I am still far from it in theory, it won’t be long before I must consider retirement. However, I have no idea what I want to do when I retire; I can barely imagine owning a house in my 30s, let alone what I will do at 65 plus. Retirement Plan, an animated short by John Kelly, explores what someone might do with their life once they retire, yielding interesting results.

Retirement Plan follows Ray (voiced by Domhnall Gleeson) as he outlines his retirement plans, ranging from simple tasks like clearing up his computer’s desktop and reading unfinished books to trying drugs for the first time or travelling. Yet, as he shares his aspirations, Ray ages, and what once seemed magnificent, and freeing may not live up to his expectations.

Its animation style is simplistic in its approach; from its line work to its colour choices, the images are not necessarily flashy, but that is intentional. Retirement is a time when we are meant to relax and enjoy the fact that our working days are behind us. Life should be simple, but retirement comes with its flaws. As we age, our bodies begin to fail us; what once were simple tasks, like washing and changing our clothes, become arduous chores.

However, my biggest issue with the film is that I felt nothing; I was emotionless while watching it. Watching Ray age and draw closer to his final days didn’t evoke sadness in me; I sat with a blank, expressionless face. Domhnall Gleeson excels as the voice of Ray, bringing a true range of emotion to the role.

Retirement Plan was a pleasant experience. I don’t regret watching it, as the animation is truly unique and pleasing to view, but at the same time, I did not feel I gained much from it on a narrative level.

3 stars.

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