Don Hertzfeldt’s ME
& IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
Thursday, June 27th at 7:30 PM
$16 Public | $10 Members
Join us for a screening of two films from legendary
animator Don Hertzfeldt! This program includes his latest
short film ME and his award-winning film It’s Such a
Beautiful Day.
ME
Don Hertzfeldt’s newest animated film ME is a 22-minute
musical odyssey about trauma, technology, and the retreat of humanity into
itself. IndieWire has described it as “soul-shaking” and “a triumph”.
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Returning to theaters for the first time since 2012, It’s Such a
Beautiful Day has been hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of
the best animated films of all time.
Originally released as three short films over the course of
six years, the picture was captured entirely in-camera on a 35mm rostrum
animation stand. Built in the 1940s and used by Hertzfeldt on all of his
animated films since 1999, it was one of the last surviving cameras of its kind
still operating in the world, indispensable in creating the story’s unique
images and visual effects. It’s Such a Beautiful Day painstakingly
blended traditional hand-drawn animation and experimental optical effects with
new digital hybrids, printed out one frame at time and placed under the camera.
The story follows Bill, a stick figure slowly losing grasp
of his sanity. It’s Such a Beautiful
Day follows Bill through the labyrinth of his consciousness, in stark
contrast to the linear mundanity of his day-to-day life. Bill struggles—with
illness, family, loneliness, and love. We see him enjoy moments of simple
pleasure, and suffer through agonizingly awkward social interactions. It’s
miserable, and hilarious, moving, and surreal in equal measures.