The Fan Man (2026)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

When Jude (Nathan Hare) finds a man inside of his bathroom fan, he knows he must find a way to remove him. The Fan Man follows this distressed man as he tries to get his life back to normal. 

Interestingly enough, I was familiar with Hare before seeing The Fan Man, as I had seen many of his TikTok videos in which he depicts himself as the worst person with whom to go on a date. Hare is incredibly frustrating in these TikTok shorts—and that’s a testament to his ability to develop real characters that resonate with viewers. That ability translates well in The Fan Man, as the film tasks Hare with being the leading man in a narrative full of antagonistic and frustratingly-dimwitted characters. He embodies the necessary persona and helps to carry the short film from start to finish. 

Beyond Hare, however, I struggled to find much of The Fan Man to greatly appreciate. The set design is overly simplistic, the characters (even Jude) are shallow, and the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. One could sit back and potentially marvel at the stupidity of this film. Sure, you may get a laugh or two out of the narrative, but there’s a lot left to be desired when it comes to the surface level of this film. 

Furthermore, for those looking for something truly funny (or at least ironically funny) as the premise of the film may have promised, I feel that audiences will ultimately find themselves disappointed. Not that I necessarily had massive expectations for The Fan Man, I walked away from the film feeling very little—having taken very little away from the short. 

With all of that being said, however, it’s necessary to express that, beneath the surface, there is metaphorical value that exists within The Fan Man. I’ve mulled over the meaning of this film for literal weeks now, trying to decipher the cryptic nature of what Writer-Director Austin Hutchings brings to life. The idea that someone is always watching us, the inevitability of stupidity getting in the way of progress, and the world’s growing issue with selfishness all play a role in The Fan Man. While their inclusion in the film is subtle, I believe that Hutchings made a concerted effort to make them a part of his film. 

Much of The Fan Man is something of a blur to me. Not much of anything truly resonated with  me, and the silly short film falls short of whatever expectations I may have had before I turned it on. I feel that Hare is a strong asset in this production and the numerous metaphorical threads that run throughout the film are enticing—but I’m not sure the entire production is saved as a result of those things. The Fan Man has some compelling aspects, but it’s ultimately a bit too flat for me. 

Written & Directed by Austin Hutchings. 

Starring Nathan Hare, Fergus Moore, John Comeau, Elijah Frescho, & Cleve Jones. 

5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED