The Maddening Disconnect of Phone Therapy in “Happy to Help You,” featuring Amy Sedaris

Two individuals, each with plenty of issues and their own communication quirks, collide on opposite ends of a mental-health helpline in Jeremy Beiler’s short film “Happy to Help You.” Amy Sedaris plays Nora, who reluctantly calls in after losing her job at a toy store. She’s anxious about money, her dog’s dental situation, her ability to hold down a job. When Arthur, a volunteer counsellor, tries to help, they can’t seem to connect. She complains and confronts, he replies gently, she rejects his attempts at soothing. In the course of their conversation, Nora hits on a sensitive spot in Arthur’s psyche, and when the call ends he gets further sucked into his own reawakened neurosis—leading to a surprising attempt to reconnect and offer a different kind of help.