It's Such a Beautiful Day

Some films don't leave you for days after you watched them. You actually feel like they will always be within you for your whole life, and they kind of do. This has been one of those films for me. I started watching it with no idea what is was about or what to expect and so it took me to a lovely, passionate, exceptional journey.

It's one of these few films that actually makes you think after the last scene, which was by the way a remarkable one to end the film with.

It speaks to the heart, the mind and the soul in such a simple, beautiful way. I so loved how it's narrated and how the ideas are displayed. It deserves to be recognized and seen not once, but many times.

This film has all three episodes put together into one continuous story. It shows the story of Bill, who is deteriorating from a brain disease. It sounds depressing and haunting, and it is. However, it is many other things as well - impressive, heartwarming, insightful, funny, clever, tragic, and more. This film is a rare gem. A must-watch.

I haven't seen a film as masterful as Don Hertzfeldt's It's Such a Beautiful Day that I had to watch it twice in two days in a long time. Comprised of three short films, of which were released from 2006-2011, for an hour long feature. It details the life, perspective and ancestry of Bill, a nondescript stickman who suffers from deliberating mental illness. Although it has a minimalist animation style, with simplistic pencilled-in stick figures and fractured splotched split screens contrasted with live action footage, Hertzfeldt manages to dig deep into the bleakest caverns of the psyche of the human condition, whilst also pointing out its silver linings. Even though it's obviously painstakingly animated, there's a liberating stream-of- conscience style with Hertzfeldt's omnipresent and omniscient narration.

Despite Bill's erratic state of mind, ostensibly from his family history, he's an incredibly relatable character from his fears, dreams and insecurities. The film is so on point that it's hard to shake a disorientating sense of anxiety from watching it due to its existentialism. The film is a remarkably abrasive experience from its density, firing off small vignettes of Bill's life in just a few seconds at a time, paired with an unnerving use of classical music. But with its absurdist take on life, the grounded sense of humour comes from its irreverent and idiosyncratic observations of trivial social faux pas. However, the only aspect that holds the film back is that it gets too nihilistic at times especially during the family flashbacks without purpose, often forgetting the theme of the title.

What's most powerful about the film is the way it approaches mortality. Among all the morbid cruelty of life, it manages something deeply poignant and profound in its casualness. It suggests death as a dumb, awkward stupid moment and in its irony it finds comfort. The final passage explores the consequence of immortality taking a common fantasy on a grand scale. The unbridled creativity, insight and ambition of Hertzfeldt is unparalleled. Both hilarious and gut-wrenching in equal measure, it's a thoroughly inspirational film as Hertzfeldt probably made this on one desk maybe in his bedroom. I implore everyone to spare an hour of their life to watch this. I'll definitely be watching It's Such a Beautiful Day many, many more times.

9/10

This film is amazing. It's a beautiful, philosophical film that leaves you feeling paralyzed after viewing. Every time I watch it, I notice more and more of the great things about this film. The superb effects are even more amazing when you think about how there were no computers used in its filming. This movie feels like the longest hour of your life, but you wish the hour never ends. It is about a man named Bill. It starts of following Bill around with narration by Don Hertzfeldt. Hertzfeldt's narration sounds unconventional and unprofessional, but it adds to the effect of the film. You soon learn that BIll is struggling with some sort of disease never mentioned in the film that affects his mind. Most of the film is split into little windows across the screen, something weird, but original and interesting. All this, plus some darkly funny humor, makes this film not only a great one, but an artistic achievement that will make you do some major thinking about life. This film is perfect.

In a film industry there animated movies are getting more and more advanced, this extreme surprise shows up on Netflix. What a beautiful film this is.

Don Hertzfeldt, a director I had never heard of until this day tells the story of a man named Bill, who struggles to put together his shattered psyche. All this is done with very simple, but heartwarming drawings mixed with some live action moments.

Like Mary and Max (2009), this animated feature relies heavily on the narrator, who's voice is the only one you hear. We listen to simple stories about life itself, with some very dark humor intended. You'll laugh, you'll cry, but most of all you'll only spend 62 minutes of your life on something that was quite clearly worth it...