It's Such a Beautiful Day

Thankfully I stumbled upon this gem of a film after watching his famous "Rejected Cartoons" skits. Which are genius in their own right, this has a whole different mood and only centers around one man.

The way Hertzfeldt blends classical music, with simple narration and seemingly simple yet complex animation, he manages to tell a great , thought provoking tale of a man looking for something just a little bit more, often thinking to himself, which in turn often gets the viewer thinking, for better or for worse. Everyone can relate to Bill, as I'm sure there is at least one thing that Bill encounters that the viewer has also encountered, which makes it that much more of a personal experience for the viewer.

Surely you will leave this film asking yourself a lot of questions, and some maybe for the better.

I don't think I can accurately describe how very very much I loved this movie. I've seen it 4 times now and each time I still feel my soul ache for Bill. I fell in love with Bill and... just felt for him. In real life, I felt for an animated character. It's that good.

The way the scenes are laid out really dig deep into the psyche and even if the scenes are too deep for you, you can still appreciate being pulled into someone's mind and experiences in such a way that later you won't be able to help but to reflect on, and often.

I especially loved how the writer depicted the psychotic breaks. Genius. What is it like to have experienced true emotional pain? What's the damage left? What about genetics? There's no doubt that environment plays a large role in emotional development but so does being genetically predisposed to an illness or 'malfunction' that basically hinders brain function so that the brain is no longer efficient. Most of us can only imagine experiencing the brain being truly confused or inept.

Yet, Bill pushes on as the sweetest, kindest soul who just lives his simple, rote routines and just keeps living...and living....and living.

This movie is amazing and you get to experience Bill's PERCEPTIONS of his reality and life in a stark and matter-of-fact way that gets to you. LOVE this LOVE LOVE LOVE this! ...and I LOVE whomever made this movie. You are simply incredible, sir.

From his beginnings as the animator of absurdist comedic shorts like "Rejected" and "Billy's Balloon", Don Hertzfeldt's career has always been promising and he has now become one of the finest filmmakers working today, a mature mastermind with a sense of humor that somehow manages to create stunning works of art using stick figures.

"It's Such a Beautiful Day" is a tragicomic combination of fantasy and reality, portraying the life and death of a seemingly normal man named Bill, a relatable extension of ourselves who lives a confusing yet mundane life that seems to have been wasted by year after year of nothing. Featuring a deadpan and often hilarious narration by Hertzfeldt himself, Bill's psychological and physical collapse is portrayed through the unique usage of flashbacks, dream sequences, absurdist gags, surrealist science fiction imagery, etc. All of these fragments of memories and crises and sad moments and happy moments and funny moments and stream of consciousness style musings on existentialist concepts of death and love and life all culminate to form something inexplicably beautiful. This is the story of a fragile man taking place over the course of his most fragile days as life seems to vanish in his socially awkward grasp. Of course, this is not a conventionally sad work, although it IS extremely tragic and heartbreaking throughout, for Hertzfeldt's often dark and occasionally even slightly juvenile and slyly bawdy sense of humor shines through even the most melancholic of moments.

The result of this brilliant philosophical tale is a work of both intellectual and emotional mastery crafted by an underrated and unbelievably talented artist whose works can combine elements of comedy and tragedy and poetry using bland, almost poorly drawn stick figures. This filmmaker and this films are both movie miracles and prove that even in this modern age of repetitive corporate media cinema is not dead and can still be excellent and original!

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.

When I sat down to watch this, I had never heard of Don Hertzfeldt, the genius behind "It's Such a Beautiful Day." Since then, I've watched every single film he has made at least three times. This film changed the way I look at art; film, music and literal art, in the form of paintings. It is truly incredible. Hertzfeldt's animation style in one of the best in the industry, and has now become my favourite.

The story that is told in the series of shorts will make you laugh, cry and consider why you are even living. The way that the simple animation style is composited on screen is unique, and also works seeing as it is told from Bill's perspective. The main character, Bill, is a lonely, confused stickman, who suffers from depression and a mental disorder. The things he dreams up or the hallucinations he sees show Hertzfeldt's absurd humour, which will confuse you and also make you laugh. The questions that he asks will stay in your head for a very long time.

The fact that this masterpiece was produced entirely one person with no help from computers makes the film stand out even more.

I don't know whether I'll ever watch a film the same again.