In some sense, Don Hertzfeldt has played a paramount role in my life growing up. One of the first YouTube videos I ever saw back when I was a wee-little boy was his short film Rejected. I had no clue what it meant or what was happening in it, but as an uncorrupted, curious child, the absurdity of it amused me every single time I watched it.
I guess it’s somewhat cheating to call Don Hertzfeldt’s feature-length version of the Bill Trilogy some of the best work that’s ever been put to animation because it doesn’t just feature animation—there’s plenty of real-life footage and images to accompany its sum. It is, however, fair to say that that this picture accents some of the most advantageous editing procedures ever put to film. Brian Hamblin’s editing caught me off guard on numerous occasions and it’s excessively used to its grandest potential.
Hertzfeldt has taken events that may seem so simple in every sort of capacity and upheaved them to levels of depth that most other artists wouldn’t dare to explore. It’s like if you took bullet-point notes from a random day of your life and found a way to mold them into artistically beautiful gems of storytelling. Yes, it’s a tale of some random dude’s life, and yes, you or some may find it to be stereotyped considering many movies follow narrative threads alike, but It’s Such a Beautiful Day does it with this visual practice that has never been performed before, causing the final product to appear endlessly original.
It’s Such a Beautiful Day is going to crack you up, make you weep like a tiny crybaby, and hit you dead center in the chest where all your sensations hide out. It’s pretty much a masterpiece. And not just an animated masterpiece. A masterpiece in all realms of cinema.
Verdict: A
This Movie is a Part of My List: The Victors of the 2010s
“It’s Such a Beautiful Day” is now available to rent and buy on Vimeo.
Burning the Celluloid 
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