Photo: Vimeo
My introduction to Don Hertzfeldt wasn't too long ago, though I have since become obsessed with his animated short Rejected, which is devilishly comical in each and every way. He's since done plenty, such as the ever-increasing-in-popularity It's Such a Beautiful Day from a few years ago to recently animating the opening couch gag for an episode of "The Simpsons". Now he delivers his latest short, a nearly 17-minute existential exploration of life, death and everything in-between in World of Tomorrow.
With elements taken from his 2013 graphic novel "The End of the World" (how much I'm not entirely sure), World of Tomorrow tells the story of a young girl referred to as Emily Prime (voiced by Hertzfeldt's niece Winona Mae) as she is contacted by a third-generation clone of herself (voiced by Julia Pott) that takes her on a journey into a future filled with memories, sadness and plenty of comedy. To unpack all of what Hertzfeldt explores within the confines of this short would be fool hardy in a review, but suffice to say it's yet another example of how our more ambitious filmmakers continue to explore the future in unique and fascinating ways.
The primary focus, as I see it, is an exploration of the importance of memories, an aspect of humanity that is often overlooked. In humanity's search for more, more, more, and a hope for immortality, we forget to focus on and enjoy the present and take joy out of our memories. As Emily Prime is first confronted by her future self, who describes her existence through a transference of memories and cloning process, Emily Prime simply responds, "I had lunch today." It's rudimentary in this initial instance, but it's the short's first example of memories in the face of what sounds like far more important information. This leads to far more important examples of how our memories of others, and their memories of us, are the singular way in which we all remain immortal beyond our physical existence.
Mixing his traditional, hand-drawn, stick figure animated characters with digital animation, Hertzfeldt's signature aesthetic is firmly intact, bolstered by ever changing backgrounds and geometric shapes. Capturing only about an hour's worth of dialogue from his then, four-year-old niece, there's a sense of innocence mixed together with the lofty ideas swirling throughout the film's narrative. And it couldn't be more perfect or prescient.
Just as future-Emily guides Emily Prime through what she describes as the future's "Outernet" the importance of the technical mumbo-jumbo she continues to describe is lost on the young child. Are the "whys" and "hows" of the future even important in this case? It's pretty clear the answer is "No" as there is no example more poignant than the moment Emily Prime prattles off a bit of incoherent gibberish to which future-Emily responds, "I have no idea what you're talking about." From this point on the film shifts, pushing unimportant technical aspects aside, focusing more on the human experience and shared memories. It takes the innocence of a child to help us realize, in this instance, what's important as an adult may be more prone to dive deeper into the technical intricacies, wanting to know more about what is, in the end, not so important.
The beauty of Hertzfeldt's short is in the fact it runs only 16 minutes and 30 seconds, making it immensely re-watchable and the more you watch it, the more the exploration of Hertzfeldt's vast and geometric future seems inconsequential as much as the human experience itself becomes most important. It offers a way of telling us to disconnect from technology and look for true human contact. After all, if you don't make those connections, who will be left to remember you when you're gone?
As much as we may strive for answers to what else is out there, it causes us to forget what's right in front of our faces and that's made explicit here as a third generation clone seeks out the company of her original self, 227 years in the past.
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