Watch H*le (2024), Nick Beardslee’s new comedy short film. Dive into hilarious laughs with this must-see 2024 short. Don’t miss it!
🕳️ H*le (2024) — Comedy Short Film by Nick Beardslee
A five‑minute burst of awkward intimacy and surreal humor, H*le (stylized with an asterisk) takes a single, ridiculous relationship question and stretches it into a full‑blown identity crisis. Written and directed by Nick Beardslee, this short proves you can build a whole world — and a lot of laughs — around one tiny, mysterious… omission.
🧭 Overview
- Genre: Comedy / Relationship Satire
- Director & Writer: Nick Beardslee
- Story by: Nick Beardslee & Michael Calciano
- Producers: Nick Beardslee · Will Colacito · Jose Useche
- Cast:
- Emily DeForest as Katie 💭
- Josh Strobl as Dylan 🙃
- Jose Useche as Julian
- Julian Manjerico as Maddie
- Maddie Eaton as Andrew
- Andrew Cekala as ? (supporting)
- Cinematography: Will Colacito 🎥
- Production Design: Blake Griffey
- Editing & Score: Nick Beardslee
- Runtime: ~5:46 minutes
- Country: United States 🇺🇸
- Language: English
- Premiere: May 2024 — Maryland Film Festival
- Also known as: Hole
- Festival spotlight: Featured on the European Film Academy’s Vimeo showcase
Watch full short:
📖 Story in Brief
Katie has been dating Dylan for a while. Things are fine… until one day, she realizes something unsettling: she’s never seen his hole.
Not a hole. His hole.
From there, the thought burrows into her mind like an earworm:
- Why hasn’t she seen it?
- Is he hiding it on purpose?
- Does everyone have one?
- Is she weird for caring?
Her curiosity spirals into obsession, leading to increasingly awkward conversations with friends, strangers, and Dylan himself. The more she pushes, the more absurd the situation becomes — until the “hole” becomes a stand‑in for every unspoken thing in a relationship.
🎨 Creative DNA & Style
- Deadpan delivery: The comedy comes from treating the bizarre premise with total seriousness.
- Tight framing: Close‑ups heighten the intimacy and awkwardness.
- Muted color palette: Keeps the focus on expressions and timing.
- Quick pacing: At under six minutes, every beat lands fast and clean.
- Sound cues: Minimal score, letting silences and pauses do the comedic heavy lifting.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 High‑concept hook: One weird question drives the whole plot.
- 😂 Relatable absurdity: Anyone who’s fixated on a partner’s quirk will get it.
- 🎭 Strong comedic timing: Emily DeForest nails Katie’s mix of curiosity and frustration.
- 🏆 Festival‑friendly: Short, sharp, and memorable.
Cons
- ⏳ Ultra‑short runtime: Leaves you wanting more escalation.
- 🌀 Ambiguity: The “hole” is never fully explained — which is the point, but may frustrate literalists.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Curiosity vs. boundaries: How much do we need to know about the people we love?
- Relationship mysteries: Every couple has their “thing” they don’t talk about.
- Absurdism as truth: The sillier the premise, the closer it can get to real emotional dynamics.
👥 Who Is It For?
- Comedy short fans: Especially those who love awkward, surreal humor.
- Festival audiences: Viewers who appreciate quick, high‑concept storytelling.
- Relationship satire lovers: Anyone who’s ever overthought something small.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
H*le 2024 short film is proof that you don’t need a big budget or sprawling plot to make something memorable. Beardslee takes a single, strange thought and plays it straight, letting the audience squirm, laugh, and maybe even recognize their own “holes” — the little mysteries we never solve about each other.
🔍 Find More & Watch
- IMDb page for H*le — full cast, crew, and production details.
- European Film Academy profile — synopsis and streaming link.
- Letterboxd entry — reviews and festival notes.