It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
At its core, it has some really amazing animation. Now, I don’t know if I was ready for this movie to be as heavy as it is. An extremely somber movie, with some beautiful moments, but definitely need to be ready for what you are about to watch. It did get a little long, but I do think that is part of the story that is trying to be told. Technically, hard to say it isn’t a masterpiece, but for me, it is a tough watch.
-J
We watched this in a special screening that showed Don Hertzfeldt’s new animated short, ME, and then It’s Such a Beautiful Day. In between the two, Don Hertzfeldt apologized for what we were about to watch, calling It’s Such a Beautiful Day “exhausting”. And that has never been more true about a movie. It tells the story of Bill, who suffers from severe memory loss, from some kind of dementia or brain tumor, and while telling that story also simulates what it’s like to have said memory loss. Knowing absolutely zero information about this movie going into it except for the fact that many critics consider this one of the best animated movies ever made, I was not at all prepared for just how exhausting and depressing this was. Having three grandparents that suffered and succumbed to the horrors of dementia, this was a deep look into what may have been happening inside their minds. I cannot say I enjoyed what I saw or the exhausting ride I took. The animation was amazing, no doubt, and utterly unique, and it will certainly stick with me. In fact, I dreamt the night we watched this that I was Bill, and I was stuck in a kind of continual memory lapse loop as he was in the third act. That was a particular kind of nightmare. I can’t say I recommend this movie, but if you have been affected by someone suffering memory loss or are curious, it will be an exhausting illumination.
-Z
