It's Such a Beautiful Day - Characters & Cast

Initially, Bill's motivation is simply to get through his daily routines and manage his anxieties. As his illness progresses, his motivation shifts to a desperate attempt to hold onto his memories and make sense of his fragmenting reality. Ultimately, his motivation becomes a pure, unburdened experience of the present moment.

Bill begins as a detached and anxious individual, living a mundane life filled with repetitive routines and a pervasive fear of death. His neurological illness forces him on an inward journey, and as his mental faculties decline, he paradoxically begins to experience a spiritual awakening. He moves from a state of existential dread to one of profound appreciation for the present moment, finding beauty in the world he had previously ignored. His journey culminates in a form of acceptance, even as his identity dissolves.

The narrator's primary motivation is to tell Bill's story. However, this evolves into a desire to make sense of Bill's suffering and ultimately, to save him from his fate, even if only through a flight of narrative fancy.

The narrator starts as a seemingly objective storyteller, recounting the events of Bill's life in a deadpan tone. However, as the film progresses, the narrator's emotional investment in Bill becomes apparent. The line between objective narration and Bill's inner monologue blurs, suggesting the narrator may be a manifestation of Bill's consciousness. In the end, the narrator actively rebels against Bill's impending death, choosing to imagine an eternal existence for him.

Her motivation is to diagnose and treat Bill's condition according to medical protocols. She represents the external world's attempt to understand and categorize Bill's experiences.

Sara Cushman's character, primarily the voice of Bill's doctor, represents the clinical and often detached perspective of the medical world. Her role is to deliver diagnoses and prognoses, grounding Bill's surreal experiences in a medical reality. Her presence highlights the limitations of science in the face of the profound mysteries of the mind and existence.