Horst in Translation ([email protected]) This is a 7-year-old movie by Oscar-nominated director Don Hertzfeldt. It's animated with his unique style as always and runs for 21 minutes. I am a really great fan of the director's works and I must say this one here is neither among his finest films nor among his weakest. It basically tells us first the family history of main character Bill and later puts the focus more on Bill himself. The absolute best about this short film is obviously Hertzfeldt's narration. His voice fits his style so perfectly and I really love the contrast between the almost poetic descriptions with the very raw animation style. And also in terms of emotion, this short film is a winner. The quote about "dust and moonlight" is particularly memorable just like the doctor's note to Bill's mother. But there is more. Lots of death, tragedy which is all somehow depressing and entertaining at the same time, so that you cannot really listen away. The only thing I did not really like here was the inclusion of live action scene. Other than that, good job from Hertzfeldt and I recommend this short movie.

MartinHafer This is the continuation of Don Hertzfeldt's short "Everything is Okay"--a lengthy absurdist take of a stick figure named Bill. The first film had to do with Bill's brain tumor and the weird, disjoint musings of Hertzfeldt as he narrates Bill's life. Here in "I Am So Proud of You" you hear all about Bill's extended family. None of it makes any sense at all though there is a recurring theme about Christianity (such as a feral family member who eats mud and says 'Bible', a religious zealot who fathers an illegitimate child and kills it and a grandmother that likes persecuting Jews). It's all very random and insane just like the earlier short and because of this, the two films work great together when they are combined with yet another short about Bill to make an ultra strange feature-length film. Weird and not for most folks--but great for Hertzfeldt fans.

changeforbucks Don Hertzfeldt has come quite some way since his early days as a young film student making silly stick cartoons to... well still making silly stick cartoons. But in his more recent works he has gone beyond the "old style" pen and paper skits to using various traditional film tricks and techniques and cel style back-lighting effects that are nearly extinct in a our technology filled society. This combination of traditional artistry makes all of Don's films unique and has made him much recognition by many renowned artists and organizations.Along with his improvement in his skill as an animator, his ability as a writer has become much more prominent in his recent work. "The Meaning of Life" was his first film to really take a more serious direction from the oddball humor of "Rejected" or "Billy's Balloon". "Everything Will Be OK" Was written more as a story being told through a third person perspective and Features a full script narration by Don throughout the whole film. Don's Descriptions of events and people and his way of story telling is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss but with a much darker overtone."I Am So Proud Of You" is the continuation of what will become a trilogy about a man and his struggle of finding a reason for life. Where as the previous title focuses on the Main Character (Bill) Questioning his existence as he suffers with an illness thats affecting his brain, "Proud" Focuses on him as he goes through treatment and looks back on his childhood and his quite dysfunctional family. He ponders on what he did in his life realizing that he spent his whole life only fearing the end. He ultimately realizes that you "Only get Older" and before you know it, the whole time you have been looking forward, eventually you will only be able to look back. Throughout the Film there are bits of Dark humor and emotional plot points that constantly keep you engaged.The combination of Dons artistry in both animation and writing make this film a powerful image of how life can be beautiful but Ultimately Inexorable. By the end of the film you will have no choice but to think about this transcendent fact.

jdierin1 Those who have been affected by "Everything Will Be OK"'s deft balancing of the absurd, surreal, heartbreaking and quietly devastating will be blown away by "I am so proud of you," which is easily Hertzfeldt's best work. Plot-wise, we learn more about Bill's family history and strange relatives, and a co-worker's comments about genetics, time and predestination throw Bill's universe -- or at least the film's non-lineal portrayal of it -- into major flux. There is a strong sense of pathos running throughout, and at times the humor is so dark that it may or may not have been intended to be read as such--but that might be an irrelevant distinction. Watching Hertzfeldt develop into a true artist has been one of the greatest cinematic pleasures of the last decade, and "I am so proud of you" continues that trend. If you are fortunate enough to have the chance to see the sole copy of it that is currently circulating the country along with Hertzfeldt, don't pass it up. Hopefully we'll get part three of the trilogy soon...