Goodbye Cruel World

Bluesky

A story about a 14-year-old suicidal teenager could be called many things, but hopeful or joyful are definitely not among the first words that come to mind. Félix de Givry’s feature debut Goodbye Cruel World shifts the narrative away from the bleakness one might expect, showing that it’s possible to make a film about a difficult and sensitive subject with tenderness, humour and sprinkles of hope. Starring Milo Machado-Graner as Otto, known as the breakout star of Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film Anatomy Of A Fall, the film relies heavily on the actors’ performances to tell a touching story about adolescence from their own perspective.

Otto decides to commit suicide because of the bullying he endures at school. He plans everything carefully, writing letters to all of his classmates, sending them out by post before going into the forest and jumping from a bridge into turbulent waters. But his suicide attempt fails and he manages to get out of the freezing river. Since the letters have already been sent, he feels guilty simply returning to his normal life, so he chooses to disappear and live in hiding for as long as he can. But one night, he meets Léna (Jane Beever), and an unlikely love story between the two begins to unfold. Otto moves into one of the spare rooms at her parents' budget hotel and he and Léna start having late-night or early-morning dates in secret. The innocence of their feelings contrasts with Otto’s suicidal thoughts and his deep desire to stay hidden and to eventually run away. Together they draw the image of two teenagers trying to act as grown-ups while still finding joy in the small things that make them children.

De Givry manages to capture the specific angst of adolescence through gestures that are both funny and heartbreaking. Otto wants to be taken seriously and treated just like an adult, so he wears oversized leather jackets, has mental breakdowns in the shower and lets Léna bleach his hair so he becomes unrecognisable when the time comes to run away from his hometown. The film unfolds like a fairy tale with serious stakes and dark undertones, placing its protagonists at the centre of their own worlds while the adults remain almost like a fantomatic presence. Alongside Françoise Lebrun’s voiceover and the dreamlike use of lighting and music, particularly in the decisive moments between Otto and Léna, it creates a genuine portrait of what it means to grow up while struggling with mental health, without erasing the gravity of Otto’s situation.

With a barely grown moustache but big thoughts, Otto carries a weight no 14- year-old should have to bear. Goodbye Cruel World is almost like a darker version of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, sharing the same fascination with young people who build their own worlds away from adults. The film trusts its characters with their decisions, and while love doesn’t solve Otto’s suicidal thoughts, it shows him that his feelings matter too.

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