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That is one of the many existential musings of the narrator in Don Hertzfeldt's animated masterpiece, and to a certain extent, the basic core of the film. Whether it is the unscrupulous passage of time, a rollercoaster of pessimism vs. optimism, or just your typical fear of aging and death. It is all in there, along with hallucinations of a fish-headed humanoid with a leaking pipe on its belly, or demon-faced people with bacteria-ridden crotches stuck in the produce.
It's Such a Beautiful Day is a compilation of three previously released short films from Hertzfeldt. The main premise of the story follows Bill, a man struggling with an undefined illness which is causing hallucinations, memory loss, and countless other problems. Despite this, Bill tries to carry on with his life while sharing his philosophical musings about life, love, death, and demon-faced people with bacteria-ridden crotches stuck in the produce.
This is my second experience with a Hertzfeldt, after Rejected, but I had heard a ton of great things about this, and how it's his best work and whatnot. Maybe because of that, I came in with high expectations, or maybe it wasn't the right time for me to watch it, but the truth is that I just couldn't get into the film's wavelength. I can acknowledge there is some good/great stuff in it, but it was all counter-balanced by its frantic randomness.
I understand that "randomness" is part of its charm, and very often I enjoy films with that vibe, but this wasn't the case this time. I'm usually down for films full of existential and philosophical confrontations, but every thought-provoking morsel the script throws at you is immediately followed by the most random, absurd, and off-beat zinger, and at this time I couldn't process the whiplash from one tone to the other.
For different reasons, I couldn't see this in one sit. I had to split it through a week or two, and that week or two has been, umm, quite eventful from a personal standpoint. Knowing me, I'm pretty sure that in some other time with some other mindset, this film can leave me pondering the facts of life, break my mind with existential dread, and make me laugh at bacteria-ridden crotches. It just happened to come at a weird time where days haven't been as "beautiful", so I will begin to gauge the time I have left, and give it another shot later.
Grade: *
IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
(2012, Hertzfeldt)
(2012, Hertzfeldt)
"With each passing decade, he began to gauge the time he probably had left. And by his 40s, what he considered his halfway point at best, he had come to know just one thing: you will only get older."
That is one of the many existential musings of the narrator in Don Hertzfeldt's animated masterpiece, and to a certain extent, the basic core of the film. Whether it is the unscrupulous passage of time, a rollercoaster of pessimism vs. optimism, or just your typical fear of aging and death. It is all in there, along with hallucinations of a fish-headed humanoid with a leaking pipe on its belly, or demon-faced people with bacteria-ridden crotches stuck in the produce.
It's Such a Beautiful Day is a compilation of three previously released short films from Hertzfeldt. The main premise of the story follows Bill, a man struggling with an undefined illness which is causing hallucinations, memory loss, and countless other problems. Despite this, Bill tries to carry on with his life while sharing his philosophical musings about life, love, death, and demon-faced people with bacteria-ridden crotches stuck in the produce.
This is my second experience with a Hertzfeldt, after Rejected, but I had heard a ton of great things about this, and how it's his best work and whatnot. Maybe because of that, I came in with high expectations, or maybe it wasn't the right time for me to watch it, but the truth is that I just couldn't get into the film's wavelength. I can acknowledge there is some good/great stuff in it, but it was all counter-balanced by its frantic randomness.
I understand that "randomness" is part of its charm, and very often I enjoy films with that vibe, but this wasn't the case this time. I'm usually down for films full of existential and philosophical confrontations, but every thought-provoking morsel the script throws at you is immediately followed by the most random, absurd, and off-beat zinger, and at this time I couldn't process the whiplash from one tone to the other.
For different reasons, I couldn't see this in one sit. I had to split it through a week or two, and that week or two has been, umm, quite eventful from a personal standpoint. Knowing me, I'm pretty sure that in some other time with some other mindset, this film can leave me pondering the facts of life, break my mind with existential dread, and make me laugh at bacteria-ridden crotches. It just happened to come at a weird time where days haven't been as "beautiful", so I will begin to gauge the time I have left, and give it another shot later.
Grade: *