Who knew a stick figure with a top hat could make you re-evaluate your existence and ponder questions you’ve probably shoved to the back of your subconscious.That’s what award-winning, indie animator, Don Hertzfeldt, accomplished with his 2012 first feature film It’s Such a Beautiful Day.
The film originally is a trilogy of shorts; Everything Will Be Okay (2006), I Am So Proud of You (2008) and It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2011). Each chapter stands alone but Hertzfeldt seamlessly edited them so that together, a profound master piece was assembled.
Writing, directing and narrating himself, Hertzfeldt is a one-man band (with the exception of Brian Hamblin who edited the film) and one of the few animators whose primary concentration is story and not the technological aspect of animation which is part of the reason why the film’s simplicity is so powerful.
Complementing the film’s mainly blank canvas of visuals is the entrancing soundtrack of classical music from Smetana, Strauss and Wagner. It seems as though Hertzfeldt really enjoys combining opposite forces.
The story encompasses the life of Bill (minimalistic in his appearance but diverse in every other aspect) who suffers from an unknown and fatal illness. When the narrator introduces us to Bill he is undergoing treatment, struggling to maintain a grasp on reality, all while recovering from a recent breakup. Darkly humourous, the film takes on an existential approach as Bill comes to appreciate the preciousness of life and all that comes along with it.
The sixty-two minute feature unfolds as one of the best animated films you will ever lay your eyes on as it acknowledges the little blessings in our everyday lives that more often times than not go unnoticed until some atrocious life event makes us realize, it really is in fact… such a beautiful day.
