cPanel file manager stuck!

I'm completely stuck trying to manage some files for a client's website maintenance. this cPanel file manager is just not cooperating at all today. it's driving me crazy!

Basically, when i try to open the file manager or even just navigate directories, it just hangs forever. sometimes it throws a weird error after a long timeout. i've tried clearing browser cache, using incognito, even a different browser entirely, but no luck. this is seriously impacting our ability to provide timely website maintenance and fix some urgent cpanel issues.

Here's what I'm seeing in the browser console:

Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 500 (Internal Server Error)
GET https://example.com:2083/cpsess123456789/frontend/paper_lantern/filemanager/index.html?dir=/public_html net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET

Has anyone experienced this before? what could be causing these cPanel file manager issues? i'm desperate for some expert advice here, any help would be amazing. thanks in advance!