Foxhole
2025 · 13m · USA
Directed by Nick Dugan
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, surreal
A groundskeeper at a posh Mid-Atlantic countryside retreat methodically deals with a fox preying on the property's birds, while a hypnotic Spanish voiceover unspools the story of how he ended up in this place — exploring themes of forgiveness, violence, and whether grace or vindictiveness can be a panacea to pain.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Spanish-language voiceover over pastoral English-language scenes about a groundskeeper killing a fox — the bilingual sonic split is doing real work conceptually. A Ghost Story comparison is ambitious but the small-scale violence-and-grace tension is the right shape.
Spanish voiceover layered over pastoral English-language imagery to formalize two modes of violence is a Terrence Malick gesture reframed for postcolonial unease — the lyrical-essay register here recalls Lucrecia Martel's smaller works. The viewer count is modest; the formal ambition is not.
Spanish-language lyrical voiceover layered over pastoral English-language scenes of a groundskeeper killing a fox — that bilingual sonic-textual split is the kind of formal idea that earns the contemplative runtime. 12:44, only 1K views but Vimeo staff already noticed.
Reviews
The splendor of the imagery, the confidence of the presentation, and the drama of the backstory, kept me riveted.
This is a masterclass in storytelling; quiet, unflinching, and hauntingly poetic. The film's exploration of forgiveness and revenge is timeless, yet it feels utterly fresh in Dugan's hands.
Festivals
- Sonoma International Film Festival 2025, 2nd Runner-Up, McNeely Award for Best Short Film
- Austin Film Festival 2025, Winner
- Raindance Film Festival 2025
- Mill Valley Film Festival 2025
- Nòt Film Fest