EVERYTHING WILL BE OK by DON HERTZFELDT

on the way to the bus stop bill saw somebody he recognized walking towards him but he couldn't remember his name he began to think of things to say when they'd be close enough to acknowledge each other as they drew nearer their eyes locked uncertain if the other was gonna stop the talk the person greeted bill as Bill mixed up the phrases what's up with how's it going confused the person blurted out thanks before he knew what he was saying words cut and bill's throat and he replied way they did a sort of awkward half turn and then continued on now confident that the other was not going to stop to talk they never saw each other again and a day later had each forgotten the whole thing later that night bill sat down and put on a big sweater but it only made him sleepy in the supermarket bill was always very careful to select fruit from only the back of the produce piles as the fruit in the front was that crotch level to the other customers an old man who smelled of gasoline held up an onion and said big onion to no one in particular he smiled at bill and bill look that it sucks at the checkout counter bill found himself behind a big guy whose t-shirt red second place is the first loser the checkout girl said how are you doing today bill said fine thanks how are you she didn't answer bill felt used as he waited for his next bus bill stared at a torn shopping bag that was blowing in the wind on the end of a broken pole and anxiously sucked blood out of a sore in the corner of his mouth bill dropped his keys on the counter and stood there staring at them suddenly thinking about all the times he brought his keys there before and how many days of his life were wasted repeating the same tasks in rituals in his apartment over and over again but then he wondered a realistically this was his life and the unusual part was his time spent doing other things bill sat down and read a celebrity interview then he watched the ants crawl around in his sink that night bill dreamt of a monstrous fish head that fed upon his skull in the morning bill felt really tired even though he'd just been sleeping his calendar had a photo of a manatee on it for the month it always seemed as though the manatee was staring at him bill sat in the living room with a giant box of crackers he thought some food might help him get going but felt kind of strange eating in front of the television without having it on pretty soon he was watching a boxing match on a Mexican Channel he'd been watching a lot of boxing lately but didn't really know why in the fourth round there was an accidental head butt that split open one of the fighters heads pretty badly they showed it over and over again in slow motion before he knew it bill had eaten the entire box of crackers he felt really lousy and didn't want to get up he had a sudden urge to talk to somebody so bill phoned his ex-girlfriend 12 the Manatee on his calendar did you ever see the movie about the giant manatee that attacked a city I think you need a giant mantis city girl oh yeah she said giant mantis the next morning bill felt even worse downtown the hot smell of manure blew past him as he walked bill soon came upon three dead horses in the road apparently struck down by a large moving vehicle well he thought that would explain the smell then he met his ex-girlfriend during her lunch break and they took a walk to the park he noticed that every time he was near her she sort of moved away with a tight-lipped smile on her face as though everything were okay mostly they talked about death they agreed that being buried seemed too claustrophobic and Bill didn't want to be cremated after he'd read that the intense heat boils fluids in the skull until your head explodes he decided that he'd want his body shot off in his space in a rocket ship he figured it'd be too expensive to launch the weight of his entire body but maybe just sending his head into space would be good enough preferably in front of a little window his ex-girlfriend said she'd be really creeped out if she knew Bill's severed head was floating around above her in space bill was given a new booklet at the clinic discussing potential memory loss in his treatment inside was a cartoon character saying I don't know about you folks but I could lose my keys eaten breakfast his neighbor trying to be helpful but failing cornered bill in the parking lot to explain how cryogenic scientists could freeze his brain and ice until a point in the future when microscopic robots could repair it bill they dreamed about all the brains and jars he used to see it's cool how he used to wonder whether there were still somehow pieces of individuals inside scattered fragments of partial dreams or lost memories locked deep within that dead tissue or whether this entire archive is immediately erased the moment that the body fails he began to think of people in a new line how everyone's just little more than that frightened fragile brainstem surrounded by meat and physics too terrified to recognize us some of their parts insulated in the shells of their skulls in lower middle-class houses afraid of change afraid of decisions afraid of pain stuck in traffic listening to terrible music his neighbor stared at him and said last night I dreamt all my toes fell off on the way to his front door Bill's other neighbor said sup as in what's up inside he noticed a weird wet spot on his mattress that he didn't remember being there before bill watched part of a documentary program about a 5,000 year old Iceman that was found in Italy scientists explored its colon and everything on live television bill wondered if the Iceman could have ever imagined this would one day have happened to him that night bill dreamt he was at the seaside desperately throwing dead bodies off of a little boat bill took a walk in the park to try and get some fresh air he noticed somebody had written I love you in the playground sand then he thought that was really beautiful as he continued on a sudden dribble of urine shot down his pant leg that was unexpected then some little fat kid with a deformed foot tried to sell him a magazine subscription bill looked at the list of magazines for sale and angrily wondered why they didn't offer any Asian porn then he wondered why he wondered that on his way to the clinic he found he had a little trouble understanding even his pamphlet seemed different the guy next to him at the bus stop had the head of a cow but Bill pretended not to notice his doctor said he had some discouraging news the latest tests ruled out the possibility of further surgeries and his current treatment didn't seem to be making any progress he wanted to start bill on something new he couldn't think of any reason why he should be seeing things though as he pursues bill picked up his new medication went home and masturbated for seven hours he woke up the following morning and thought his room seemed different his mouth was bleeding four of his teeth had fallen out in the night they looked sort of like dog teeth everyone the supermarket looked like some sort of demon and they all had gigantic bacteria-ridden crotches buried in all the goddamn produce I felt like his whole body was sparkling his shoes felt as though they were filling with blood and his hands smelled like copper when he got home he got a pair of Lion King slippers in his closet but had no idea whose they were or how they got in Larry the pop is leaking the pop is leaking bill could read the thoughts of his waitress wore too much eye makeup and had no self-esteem outside horribly deformed birds checked their voice Megan I am made nervous by a climb do you keep trippin with the quick effects of tranquilizers gonna predict why don't you come over here and sit on my lap after lunch bill put on the Lion King slippers and flew to the bus stop power of Christ ability the power of Christ compels you his mother came to take care of him all the way from Omaha she was a waitress and often smelt of baby powder and cheese they spent a lot of time together doing puzzles and watching television one morning his bill was staring at the patterns in the carpet she noticed a loose thread in his collar how could you think I'd ever want to hurt you she said and crumpled to the floor in that moment bill thought she looked really old sometimes the fluids in the IV put a funny taste in his mouth bill awoke to beautiful sunlight streaming through his window he tried to climb through it but didn't have the strength to stand the next morning bill actually felt pretty good the day after that he felt even better then he felt a lot worse but the following day bill felt just fine I'm sorry I just don't know what to make of it his doctor said maybe bills body is simply rallying before finally giving up his uncle whom bill had not even noticed in the room had taken a lot of time off work to fly in all the way from Tulsa he looked vaguely annoyed after another two days they concluded bill was not going to die so his mother had all the flowers removed from his room she also had to have his casket returned at great expense and inconvenience bill had to go back to work the following Tuesday it rained for the entire bus ride you

Channel: don hertzfeldt

Views: 1,317,492

Keywords: hertzfeldt, don, animation, animated, indie, sundance, bitter, films, bitterfilms, hertzfeld, rejected, billy's, balloon, independent, cartoon, short, film, comedy, drama, experimental, surreal, cinema, death, fantasy, Film (film)

Id: 1IUX0Qy-IDM

Length: 17min 0sec (1020 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 31 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/passableorgasmgrade]

I find it amazing how a movie with such a simple art style made me depressed for a couple of days. This movie is a thing of beauty.

[u/motarius]

A few years ago, I went with a buddy of mine to see the film at a theater in Boston as part of the Evening with Don Hertzfeld tour. I had already seen the first two chapters, "Everything Will Be OK" and "I'm so Proud of You" and this was my first glimpse of the final chapter. We sat in punctuated silence as we watched Bill go through his life before us. When it was over the house lights came on and the theater was absolutely silent, everyone still processing what had just happened, lumps in our throats and joy in our hearts. After a minute everyone came back to earth and the whole theater erupted in applause and standing ovations.

It was one of the most powerful and amazing films I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I highly recommend you do the same....and all from stick figures, who knew?

[u/[deleted]]

This film is amazing, it'll leave you thinking about life in ways few films can. Everyone see it.

[u/TMuff107]

I am really glad I came across this today. What an incredible film.

[u/[deleted]]

Amazing movie.

[u/rushpunk]

Don is fantastic! He's one of my favorites!

[u/FalseStar]

Some of my favorites from Don Hertzfeldt:

Lily and Jim

Ah, L'Amour

Genre

The rejected series

Billy's Balloon

[u/BPsandman84]

Get ready to curl up in a blanket as you stare into a single spot on the wall, slowly becoming the void.

[u/IncidentOn57thStreet]

Excellent! It's one of the most incredible films I've seen this year. I posted about it here when the movie was on youtube but then it got pulled shortly afterwards. My bad.