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.

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.

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

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.

Never has a movie had a greater impact on me than this one. In fact, I created my IMDb profile solely to rate this movie 10/10, because it is just that good.

At the surface it's a somewhat comically told story of a stickman, Bill, and his struggles in life. Don Hertzfeldt (the animator) narrates Bill's life through what seems like a series tiny excerpts plucked out from a bigger picture. It mirrors the animation style, which at times also seems to consist of excerpts; tiny portions roughly cut out from bigger scenes. All this is accompanied by classical music.

At the core of this simple exterior though, is an emotional roller-coaster that will make you think about the big questions. It will make you laugh at dark jokes amidst a sea of tears. It will reduce any hard man into a soft mushy pulp. And in the end, Bill the stickman will have a real impact on your life.