Scant Sanity

From Oscar-winning animator John Weldon (whose slightly scandalous, definitely hilarious, animated mystery Special Delivery is still one of my favorite NFB pieces), this somewhat disappointing new film opens promisingly with a "a guy in the waiting room of life" engaging in a self-assessment test at a placement center to find his niche in the business world. Next, the hero goes to a psychologist where he's alternately medically dosed and given shock treatment, leading to mental fantasies about being a spaceman, an insurance actuary, and a cowboy. Overall, Scant Sanity, while it has its comic moments (and is nicely animated) feels like a short comprised of cobbled-together bits and pieces which don't add up to a thematic or artistic whole. An optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)