BATTLE OF MOLE HILL (2025)
A spoiler-free review by Kraken Film Reviews
Forget the hero's journeys.
Joey Brooks is back, and this time he’s trading the pristine offices of The Application for the psychedelic, anxiety-riddled trenches of the male psyche. Battle of Mole Hill is a surreal, 23-minute trip where existential dread is a mysterious ex girlfriend, a giant stuffed bear, and two friends desperately trying to keep their heads above water in a world that’s lost the plot.
This film is a masters filmmaking as controlled chaos. Brooks, alongside co-writer Zachary Grant, has crafted a script that is both hilariously sharp and painfully relatable, hinting that the most epic battles are often fought inside our own heads.
A surrealist symphony on male anxiety.
If you’re looking for a straightforward narrative, you’ve come to the wrong Hill. This film is a non-linear, dreamlike descent into modern insecurity. The two leads are brilliantly believable anchors in the psychedelic storm, their chemistry feeling less acted and more organically lived-in. Their dialogue is the film's secret weapon: rapid-fire, witty, and packed with the kind of realistic, neurotic observations that will have you laughing in pained recognition.
The logline: two friends on a surreal journey of self-actualization, guided by a mysterious woman and a giant stuffed bear, sounds like a recipe for pure abstraction. Yet, Brooks and co-writer Zachary Grant anchor the weirdness in a bedrock of emotional authenticity.
The film operates on a dream logic that feels intuitively correct, even when the narrative signposts are obscured. In this film about the plot isn’t the protagonist. This is a short film about a state of being - specifically, the state of "existential impotence" that defines the lives of its protagonists. Their journey is not one of geographical distance but of psychological descent and, ultimately, a fleeting, hard-won moment of liberation.
Brooks’ direction is original. He juggles tone like a master juggler, bouncing from cringe-comedy to genuine pathos to full-blown surrealism without ever dropping a ball. The pacing is relentless but never rushed, effectively building a sense of unease that culminates in a truly liberating, bizarre climax. You may not always know why something is happening, but you always feel it, which is exactly the point.
Where The Application showcased Brooks' skill with a scalpel, Battle of Mole Hill reveals his talent for conducting chaos.
The film’s greatest strength is its unwavering and masterfully controlled tone. Brooks seamlessly blends the anxious, dialogue-driven rhythms of mumblecore with the visual and narrative unpredictability of Michel Gondry or early Charlie Kaufman. The transition from a painfully relatable conversation about life’s failures to a scene featuring a giant, possibly omniscient stuffed bear is handled with such deft confidence that the viewer never questions the reality of the film’s world. We are simply immersed.
This directorial prowess extends to the film's pacing. At 23 minutes, it is a feat of narrative economy that never feels rushed. Instead, it builds like a piece of experimental music, starting with the low-frequency hum of anxiety and escalating to a cacophonous, cathartic climax that provides a surreal, yet deeply satisfying, release.
Performance and dialogue?
The beating heart of the bizarre
The success of such a high-concept piece is mostly supported by the cast, and the two leads deliver performances of remarkable nuance and believability. They are the perfect avatars for a generation grappling with option paralysis and high sensitivity.
Their chemistry is palpable, feeling less scripted and more like the product of a long, complicated friendship built on shared insecurities and disagreements.
The dialogue is brilliantly written, crackling with a wit that is both defensive and revealing. These are the weapons and shields used by people who feel they have no battlefield.
The supporting players - the mysterious woman and the giant bear - are treated as integral, symbolic forces. They function as psychopomps, guiding the protagonists through their own internal landscapes.
If there is a point of contention, it lies in the film's deliberate narrative ambiguity. The non-linear structure and symbolic character motivations, while serving the tone, may prove too opaque for some viewers seeking clearer resolutions. However, this is less a weakness and more a deliberate artistic choice. The film argues that liberation in the face of "glaring uncertainties" does not come from finding answers, but from the momentary courage to stop asking the questions. The ending is not a solution, but an exhalation.
The Verdict
Battle of Mole Hill is a potent, memorable, and highly original entry into the canon of surrealist comedy. It demonstrates a significant evolution in Joey Brooks' directorial language, showcasing his ability to balance intellectual themes with visceral emotion and outright humor. It is a film that trusts its audience to navigate its depths without a map, rewarding them with a unique and resonant experience.
A must-see for aficionados of independent film and bold directorial voices. Battle of Mole Hill is a conversation starter, a therapeutic session, and a bizarrely comforting hug for anyone who has ever felt lost in their own, neurotic life. Joey Brooks isn't just on the scene; he's building his own unique hill to stand on, and it's a view worth seeking out. Highly recommended for festival audiences and fans of psychological, character-driven surrealism.
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