SUMMARY: In the second of his Bill trilogy, Don Hertzfeldt examines the genetic inevitability of Bill’s mental illness.
WHY IT’S HERE: It seemed impossible that Don Hertzfeldt could improve on his highly acclaimed short ‘Everything Will Be OK’ but with this first sequel he made an even better, funnier, sadder and more affecting film. Following ‘Everything Will Be OK’s examination of the stickman Bill’s unspecified mental condition, ‘I Am So Proud of You’ delves further back into his history to examine its origins. We see significant moments from the lives of Bill’s family members and also Bill’s younger (and older) years. Once again, Hertzfeldt provides the perfectly dry narration which effortlessly highlights the humour and tragedy inherent in the material. In keeping with his continual upward trajectory, ‘I Am So Proud of You’ immediately supplanted ‘Everything Will Be OK’ as Hertzfeldt’s finest film and anticipation for the third and final Bill film was unprecedented. The three Bill films would eventually be seamlessly strung together as one of the finest animated features of all time.
