Table of Contents
In The Oracle, a con artist persuades his psychiatrist to put him under hypnosis, and a message from the doctor's long-dead twin emerges. Is this the perfect con, or proof that reality is far stranger than the doctor would like to admit? JJ Adler builds the whole film on that uncertainty, and lets it sit unresolved just long enough to matter.
Adler β a New York based writer and director with a Student Academy Award, festival honors from Sundance and Short of the Week, and a shelf of commercial hardware including Cannes Lions, Clios, and a Peabody β made The Oracle to return to the narrative storytelling she set out to do when she started. At its center is Conrad, a seventy-something psychiatrist who prizes grounded reason and reviles the illogic he sees everywhere, until something truly inexplicable crashes into his world.
Key Takeaways
- A dark comedy with a surreal twist, anchored by Kurt Fuller as a rationalist psychiatrist forced to question his own worldview.
- Adler made the film to get back to narrative work after years as a comedy commercial director, and to test a tone that is absurd, dark, and quietly lyrical.
- The Oracle makes its LA premiere at HollyShorts, bringing the film's largely LA based cast and crew together on a big screen before a planned digital release.
Adler spoke about entrenched beliefs, an absurd scene in a garage, and knowing when to put the pencil down.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
In 2026, truth feels slippery. So many are dug into their own points of view β left, right, center, conspiracy theorist, rationalist, materialist, spiritualist. In this moment, I wanted to tell a story that asks: what does it take to move off certainty about one's own worldview? When we're mentally entrenched, are we moveable by any practical means? Or does something outside ourselves have to intervene?
At the film's center is Conrad, a seventy-something psychiatrist who prides himself on grounded rationality and reviles the illogic he sees all around him: a neighbor convinced he's enlightened, a mother lost to dementia, and a con artist who insists he channels other personalities. But when something truly inexplicable crashes into Conrad's world, he finds himself forced to confront the possibility that his own worldview might itself be a delusion.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?
It was a treat to work with such talented actors who could articulate through a look or gesture something I'd written a line to express. I was able to trim so much from the runtime because of moments like these, and I think these beats made the film feel more elegant overall.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
The circumstance we build to in the garage is very "me": absolutely ridiculous, yet shattering for Kurt's character, and, hopefully, moving for the audience.
I love that contrast β an absurd scenario most people couldn't take seriously is completely rocking a character's world. My hope is that the viewer has been brought along well enough to be simultaneously inside his emotional experience and outside of it.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
Everyone on my team was A+, from producers way on down the line. I had incredible post partners, a dream colorist, and a brilliant casting director, Chrissy Fiorilli. My longtime collaborators DP Damian Acevedo and Production Designer Grace Alie were critical, and I don't think I could have made this without their creativity, dedication, and generosity.
Kurt Fuller was, of course, the lynchpin, and I'm obsessed. But I have to say the way Brandon Scott Jones chose to play the character of Mark shifted my whole perspective on the story. He played Mark so differently and so much better than I imagined. I'm beyond grateful he came aboard.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
The hardest creative decision was when to put the pencil down and decide it's done. In each stage I want to tinker more. But at some point with a short film, you have to give yourself a deadline and stick to it.
What is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into it here?
After many years as a commercial director, I made this film to get back to the narrative storytelling I wanted to do when I started out. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses in the process. That's the power of indie filmmaking: structure it right, and you can try whatever you want, then succeed, fail, or land somewhere in between and use that feedback to shape your next project.
The lesson isn't new. It's just: make something. Anything. Get yourself out there so you can learn.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, and where does The Oracle go next?
I'm so excited for The Oracle to be part of HollyShorts. It's a great festival and among the highlights of the film's awesome festival run so far. I'm especially grateful to have the film make its LA premiere so many of the LA based cast and crew can watch it on a big screen. I'm excited for it to finish its festival run around the end of the year, and then there is a plan for a digital release I can't wait for.
I'm also working on developing my skills with the tone of this film. It's a bit absurd, a bit dark, realist, with hints of lyricism. I want to lean further into this tone and see where it takes me. At the core of all my work is a desire to connect by making people laugh at the absurdities of life and their own behavior. I hope audiences have a laugh, they're entertained, and I hope they think a bit about what it might take for them to change their own deeply held beliefs about the world.
Main Cast & Crew
- Kurt Fuller as Dr. Conrad Smolinsky
- Brandon Scott Jones as Mark
- Luka Jones as Saharsh
- Karen Maruyama as Nina
- Susan Berger as Mom
- JJ Adler β Director / Writer / Editor / Producer
- Jon Cohen β Producer
- Jon Wolf β Producer
- Damian Acevedo β Director of Photography
- Grace Alie β Production Designer
Filmmaker Opportunities
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