Goodbye Cowboy

Goodbye Cowboys follows a young man understanding his coming of age with the help of a youthful metaphor. Through this unusual analogy, he’s told he has to become a new person, his older self killing his younger self, similar to a Western-Styled stand off. His confusion and fear thickens as the car he is in approaches to where this make-believe standoff took place, now to the protagonist, not seeming so make-believe. Stepping out of the car he finds himself in a duel with an unnamed, masked, opponent.
Fear turns to determination, as he was told, he has to kill to survive. Hands by the holster, eyes set. 3, 2, 1, they both fire. But both are still standing.
The protagonist learns that while it may seem like you become a new person, having to kill your youth, that’s not the case.
This short film uses familiar techniques used in the western genre, to better understand the analogy. With similar lighting, camera angles, and archetypes it’s a fun way to see into a child’s mind, thinking of growing up.