Domhnall Gleeson narrates John Kelly’s animated film Retirement Plan. The Irish short follows Ray in midlife as he dreams of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement. The film is co-written by John Kelly and Tara Lawall, inspired by his own possible mid-life crisis. The film premiered at Galway Film Festival and screened at the SXSW Film & Television Festival 2025 in the Animated Shorts Program. Retirement Plan is a Jury Award Winner of the Animated Short category and the Audience Award Winner of the Animated Short Competition category.
I absolutely loved this film as I felt the range of emotions from laughing to almost crying in some of the scenes. We think we can do so many things when we reach “retirement age,” and we will have more “time” to do them all. Then reality hits. This film is so spot on, as anyone who has arrived at retirement age can easily confirm. We still have the same number of hours in the day as before.
Ray (voice of Domhnall Gleeson) has so many things he wants to do, and in a stream of thought, he thinks of all the possibilities and achievements in fulfilling all of them. The story explores the various emotions felt in the elder stage of life. I must admit that I laughed out loud when Ray thinks about a former classmate from his youth and what he would do. The film is so well animated, and the story’s timing is excellent. I don’t want to spoil the scene by explaining it here. See for yourself.
Tara Lawall is a writer in New York City. She has published two humor books, “Too Many Milks” and “This Little Piggy Went to Market in the City.” She is also an Executive Creative Director in Advertising at Rethink NY. Retirement Plan is her first short film.
Domhnall Gleeson is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise (2010-2011), About Time (2013), Ex Machina (2015), The Revenant (2015), and as First Order’s General Hux in Star War: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).
John Kelly studied at the Royal College of Art in London and lives and works in Dublin, Ireland, where he is developing several projects that explore a similar line between tragedy and absurdity, including a feature-length animated documentary.
For more information about the film, visit the film website retirementplanfilm.com and Instagram.
Source: SXSW, Antidote