H*le 2024 Short Film by Nick Beardslee

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.