The Meaning of Life

There's nothing to this short film. I like Don Hertzfeldt's other works so I was baffled and disappointed by this one. It shows a lot of imaginative life forms which might suit a bored artist's flipbook but as an actual film I got nothing out of it and found no meaning in it.

"Life is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel."

That proverb's the best way I can summarize this animated short. It's not often that movies get me misty-eyed and it's never happened before with anything animated. But the combination of color, movement, wit, intelligence, music, and pure beauty on display here made me happy beyond words and indeed, to tears.

Prepare to be overwhelmed. It's 12 wild minutes of paradox, puzzle and happiness. You can drink it all in and bliss out like a 4 year old, yet have deep philosophical conversations about it with your friends for hours.

I've been enjoying Don Hertzfeldt's films for years, but this is his crowning masterpiece (so far) and it's unlike anything he's ever done before. As far as I'm concerned, Hertzfeldt is the most exciting talent working in animation today. Who'd have ever guessed that the master of stick figures would pull off a piece so well-crafted that it might not have been out of place coming out of the Disney Studio, circa 1955? Fans of Hertzfeldt's popular, more comedic films (like REJECTED or BILLY'S BALLOON) are in for a totally different variety of genius here. Hertzfeldt probably could have made a fortune doing REJECTED sequels for the rest of his life, but the sign of a true artist is somebody who keeps on taking huge risks, pushing the envelope, and taking things in entirely new directions.

I have no idea where Hertzfeldt will take us next, and I for one can't wait!

If one is willing to look into this without a one minute attention span, you will find yourself in there. You may not like what you see, but it's there. We are taken from the beginnings of life and brought through the development of civilization on Earth and then beyond that. Excellent storytelling in the simplest yet esoteric way possible.

An astonishing film with ideas that could not be expressed in any other way than animation. In simplest terms, THE MEANING OF LIFE views life develop on Earth from simple creatures to humankind to the further evolved mutants that arise following our extinction.

But there's a wealth of passionate ideas going on under the surface that are hard to verbalize. When the music and animation kicks in at those key moments, you just understand entirely through pure feeling what Hertzfeldt's communicating - and that's what Art is all about.

Trying to intellectualize and dissect a piece like this is like trying to scientifically quantify the beauty of a painting of flowers! You either "get" the painting because it hits the right chord with you, or you don't. I found the film totally lacking in pretension and very simple, like such a painting. Maybe it's just beautiful and meant to be enjoyed.

There are fans of Don Hertzfeldt's work and then there are fans of REJECTED. Anyone curious to see Hertzfeldt continue to grow while challenging and pushing the envelope of indie animation should not miss this short. Fans of REJECTED who're expecting more of the same maybe need not apply.

On the other hand, I disagree with the confused reviews about how MEANING isn't like his other work (that is, his "earlier, funny movies" ...shades of STARDUST MEMORIES?). Hertzfeldtian surrealism, existentialism, and - most importantly - his toying with audience expectations are all here. He pulled the rug out from under us during BILLY'S BALLOON and REJECTED, and now that we're expecting the same thing, he masterfully pulls the rug out again.

The author obviously thinks he is making some profound statements about how life is, and, brother, this is so pretentious it's ridiculous. Worse than that, much of this animated short film will give you a headache, not entertainment. There is a segment early on which lasts for seems like eternity in which many people all talking at once. In other words, this movie assault your senses - in a negative way.

Putting it simply: this is not fun to watch.

Much of the other times, stick figures grunt, groan, make bird noises, pig noises, alien gibberish and just plain assault your ears. The stick figures are not clever, nor entertaining, just something that looks like weirdo drew while on drugs.

Because I enjoy the innovative artwork on all of these Animation DVD collections, I find it hard to dislike anything but this one - and another unnamed one - are just awful. The only redeeming quality on "The Meaning Of Life" was the excellent classical music score.