Award-winning filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt’s, “It’s Such a Beautiful Day,” is the final piece of his unnamed, perception-shattering trilogy, which was completed by the release of this short film in Aug. of 2012, and preceded by “Everything Will Be Okay,” in 2006 and “I’m So Proud of You,” in 2008. The full length film was released in 2011.

Taking a step back from the droll humor and philosophical musings of his usual popular releases, Hertzfeldt birthed into the world what can only be described as a fragmental realistic-science-fiction short film. The trilogy was produced entirely on 35mm film, using only in-camera special effects, which to anyone familiar with such techniques in modern times can be considered to require both extreme skill and momentous pretension.

“It’s Such a Beautiful Day,” is a daydream for all metacognition mooncalves and postmodern punks found within the film-fanatic demographic of today- and the world agrees. This collection was ranked number-three on Time Out London’s Top Ten Films of 2013 list; number-four on London Film Review’s same list; and runner-up for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature Film of the Year award among many other public recognitions.

“With his debut feature It’s Such a Beautiful Day, Hertzfeldt proves he can do much more with his little hand-drawn stick figures than make people laugh. A truly moving meditation on identity, family and (as the title of his previous short immodestly put it) the meaning of life, Hertzfeldt’s magnum opus is more cosmically satisfying than The Tree of Life…” John DeFore, writer for Hollywood Reporter, said in his review of the film.

Beyond his amazing display of skill in film, animation, and postmodern storytelling, Hertzfeldt manages to grant viewers who are lucky enough to stumble across his short, 62-minute-film something amazing; a new appreciation for life. The plot of this film follows Hertzfeldt’s protagonist, Bill, through life by way of fragmented, non-chronological memories, and absurdist dreams as he comes to grips with the reality of his life, declining into a sub reality created by his subconscious as it futile attempts to fill gaps in memory and an understanding created by a severe brain tumor, to which Bill has become a victim. Through this journey, Hertzfeldt pushed hope onto his viewer- hope, desperation, and a new view of the universe.