THE APPLICATION (2025)
A spoiler-free review by Kraken Film Reviews
Joey Brooks’ The Application packs a bigger punch in ten minutes than most films do in two hours.
This slick, German-language short is a masterclass in efficiency, a comedy that slices through bureaucracy with a razor-sharp wit and a stunning 35mm finish. Actor turned director Brooks kicks the door in and announces his arrival with style to spare.
The premise is deceptively simple: the dean of admissions at an Austrian university makes a small, selfish local choice with giant global impact. This is a film about the butterfly effect, if the butterfly was a bored bureaucrat and the effect was a hurricane.
The Application?
A Masterclass in Miniature
This logline hints at the film's central engine: the exploration of how minor human failings - boredom, frustration, a desire for momentary agency - can ripple outwards with monumental consequences. Brooks wastes no time, plunging us into the meticulously realized world of Belle Epoque Europe, where the air seems thick with both tradition and unspoken yearning.
From the first frame, Brooks’ background in high-caliber productions like The Big Short and Succession is evident, not in mimicry, but in a shared DNA of sharp, intelligent filmmaking, like the decision to shoot on 35mm.
The film has a tangible, textured quality that immediately grounds the historical setting while elevating the narrative to the level of a modern times (thanks to the soundtrack as well).
The film’s true highlight is this symbiotic relationship between its visual language and its thematic core. The production and costume design are impeccable, creating a world that feels authentically lived-in. This authenticity is crucial because the characters who inhabit this world are profoundly, compellingly human.
We meet the middle-aged dean, portrayed with a world-weary precision by Milton Welsh, and the young, ambitious art school applicant, brought to life with a palpable mix of hope and anxiety by Maria Dragus.
Externally, they are diametric opposites - one at the end of his professional journey, the other at the beginning. Internally, however, they are kindred spirits, both dwelling in the agonizing space between boredom and their unreached desires, simmering with a shared sense of frustration.
In The Application, every element serves the story.
The lead performances are nothing short of compelling. Welsh conveys volumes in a sigh, his face a mask of bureaucratic ennui barely concealing a deep-seated restlessness. Dragus, in a quieter but equally powerful performance, uses her eyes to express a universe of ambition and fear. There is a fascinating chemistry between them.
They are two sides of the same coin, connected by the pivotal application that passes between them. Their motivations are crystal clear, their flaws deeply relatable, making them multi-dimensional.
Brooks’ direction is assured and confident.
The pacing works: it begins with a slow, observational burn, allowing us to absorb the atmosphere and the dean’s inner life, before gradually accelerating to its stunning, breathless finale, all the while maintaining its comedy tone.
The editing, particularly the clever intercutting with the art paintings that are the subject of the application, is brilliant. It directly visualizes the theme of artistic merit versus bureaucratic caprice.
The script?
Every line of dialogue feels natural, sharp, and purposeful, revealing character and advancing the plot without an ounce of fat.
While rooted in a specific historical moment, the story feels urgently contemporary in its examination of gatekeepers and the random chance that can alter a life, or the world. The final revelation is a genuine shock, the kind that makes you gasp and immediately re-contextualize everything you have just seen, and it lands with the force of a well-earned narrative punch.
The Verdict
The Application is a spectacular debut from Joey Brooks, announcing him as a directorial force with a distinct and compelling voice. It is a witty, intelligent, and beautifully crafted short film that explores the profound consequences of minor human failings. For lovers of sharp comedy, historical drama, and flawless cinematic craft, this is an unmissable gem. It is a potent reminder that the biggest explosions often start with the smallest spark.
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