Gone Guys Documentary
New Documentary Tackles the Quiet Crisis Facing Boys and Young Men in Vermont
A powerful new documentary, Gone Guys, will premiere in July with a series of community screenings across Vermont, inviting viewers into a timely conversation about the challenges facing boys and young men today. The film explores the growing disconnection many boys face in school, work, and community life—and how that disconnection is reshaping the social fabric in Vermont and beyond.
Produced by Well Told Films and made possible with leadership support from The Richard E. & Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation. The Foundation’s Philanthropic Leadership Fund helps make projects like this one possible, advancing important conversations in our communities.
Through personal stories, striking data, and expert insight, the film examines how issues like struggles in school, loneliness, and even radicalization are taking root in the lives of young men—and what communities can do about it.
Watch the trailer and learn more.
“This is an issue we are hearing more and more about from parents, educators, business owners, and others,” said Dan Smith, President & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. “Something is out of sync for many boys and young men, and it’s showing up in classrooms, job sites, and communities. As a community, we must hold two truths at once: that advancing opportunity for women and girls remains essential—and that boys and young men are struggling in ways we can no longer ignore. Gone Guys invites us to face that complexity with care, curiosity, and a willingness to listen.”
Lauren Curry, Executive Director of the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation added, “This is a topic that we’ve been working on for a long time by directly partnering with schools and educators. Still, the outcomes data in Vermont and nationally are getting worse. It feels like we need to have a deeper conversation. What are we noticing in our own lives? What are we experiencing?” Curry continued, “This film grew out of a partnership with the Vermont Community Foundation that really encouraged us to think about how we might engage a topic that can feel difficult to talk about. That’s necessary work for us to do as foundations. And I think it’s necessary work for each of us individually to consider what solutions exist in our own actions and ideas.”
The first round of screenings will take place in St. Johnsbury, Burlington, and Bellows Falls, Montpelier, White River Junction, and Brattleboro with at least one panel discussion in each region featuring local educators, youth leaders, and community members who grapple with these issues every day.
We’re hosting screenings across the state this summer and we’d love for you to join us.
All screenings are free and open to the public, each followed by a panel conversation with local educators, youth leaders, and community members (including our very own, Dan Smith in St. Johnsbury on July 10th, Bellows Falls on July 17th, and Burlington on July 25th).
Seating is limited, and while attendance is free, you must reserve your seats in advance. Ticket and event information can be found at: goneguysfilm.com
Catamount Arts
6:00-8:00pm Thursday 7/10 & Friday 7/11
Includes post-film panel and Q&A
Bellows Falls Opera House
6:00-8:00pm Thursday 7/17
Includes post-film panel and Q&A
Main Street Landing Film House
6:00-8:00pm Friday 7/25 & Saturday 7/26
Includes post-film panel and Q&A
Savoy Theater
6:00-8:00pm Thursday 8/7 & Friday 8/8
Includes post-film panel and Q&A
Briggs Opera House
6:00-8:00pm Thursday 8/21 & Friday 8/22
Thursday only includes post-film panel and Q&A
Brattleboro
Latchis Theatre
6:00-8:00pm Thursday 9/25 & 9/26-10/2
Thursday 9/25 only includes post-film panel and Q&A
Middlebury
New Filmmakers Festival
August 20-24, 2025
Exact screening date/time to be announced
Woodstock
Vermont Film Festival
July 31 – Aug 3rd, 2025
Exact screening date/time to be announced
About the Film
Over the past fifty years, boys and young men have steadily disengaged from school, work, and broader society. They’re falling behind academically, struggling with loneliness and isolation, and facing rising rates of substance abuse and suicide.
Gone Guys, a 45-minute documentary, draws on the influential work of Richard V. Reeves’ Of Boys and Men, illuminating these challenges through powerful data and compelling personal stories. Many of us have experienced these issues first-hand, but it can be difficult to talk about them. It’s not an either-or choice: caring more about boys and men does not mean caring less about women and girls.
Set in rural Vermont, the film brings national data to life with engaging animation accompanying lived experience featuring young men, educators, mentors, and trailblazing programs that are working to re-engage boys and young men in their communities and reshape their futures.
Come see the film and use it to spark meaningful conversations with the young men and boys in your life.
