If there is one filmmaker who proves that animation does not need vast budgets, star voice actors, bespoke soundtracks by pop icons, A-level special effects or big distribution budgets, it is Don Hertzfeldt.

Hertzfeldt’s early films like Billy’s Balloon (1998, one of his student films) and The Meaning of Life (2005) were made with
thousands of crude pencil drawings, proudly resisting the dominance of computer animation at the time. Hertzfeldt also operated outside of the traditional distribution system: fans of his work saw these films through DVD bootlegs and poor-quality internet uploads. Together with his later films like the World of Tomorrow trilogy (2017-2020), the films cemented Hertzfeldt’s position as the king of American indie animation, a kind of anti-Disney, who turned his aversion to making commissioned work into the hilarious black comedy Rejected (2000).

In 2012, Hertzfeldt presented a feature film edit of his short film trilogy Everything Will Be OK (2006), I Am So Proud of You (2008) and It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2011). In the feature film we follow Bill, a man struck down by a mysterious disease and haunted by his family’s history. As Bill struggles to understand his life and, potentially, his imminent death, Hertzfeldt pushes animation into a philosophical dimension it rarely enters. Hertzfeldt’s own deadpan narration, black humor and use of split screen and in-camera effects continuously walk a careful line between laughter and tears, creating a unique film experience.

Often included on lists of the best animated feature films of all time, It’s Such a Beautiful Day is a film to be savored on the big screen.

This program screened as part of Kaboom Cult