Review: Ninety-Five Senses

It has been 20 years this year in which Jared Hess introduced us to the zany cast and crew that is Napoleon Dynamite. When getting the press for this Oscar-Nominated short, I was told that this is Jared and Jerusha Hess’ first animated short-film, I can’t help but think that Napoleon Dynamite’s proliferation into the animation industry is very much apparent, so why this hasn’t happened earlier is beyond me.

Even if we were to set aside FOX’s animated series adaptation of Napoleon Dynamite that featured a premiere episode that gained 10 million viewers (a number FOX would BEG for now), the likes of Jon Gries(Dream Corp LLC), and Jon Heder (who is dominating with several web3 animated series at the moment) have been huge in the animation industry which is absolutely as a result of Jared and Jerusha Hess.

Speaking up on themes of parental neglect, disability, incarceration and the afterlife, Jared and Jerusha Hess have produced a much darker fare in contrast to say Nacho Libre in the form of Ninety-Five Senses. 

An ode to the body’s five senses, delivered by a man with little time left to enjoy them due to the fact that he’s on death row for murder, we get a bittersweet tale of regret and redemption. The 13-minute short film animated by six teams of artists through the non-profit MAST offers a distinct style, the result is visual reference mirroring the immense anxiety caused by Coy’s own thoughts and memories.

Tim Blake Nelson voices the role of “Coy”, a “hindsight is 20/20” type of narrator offering play-by-play commentary in the face of his own execution. As Coy says goodbye to each of his five senses, he soon comes to grips on his troubled past and hopes of a vibrant, multisensory afterlife (if there is one).

NINETY–FIVE SENSES is Jared and Jerusha’s first foray into short-form animation, as well as their first work of dramatic fiction in an otherwise sardonic look at capital punishment, but given the already successful feedback the short film has received since it’s release, it shouldn’t be the last.

Now available for streaming on DOCUMENTARY+