The end of a cinematic brotherhood and a $70 million solo leap
In short: For over a decade, Josh Safdie defined a specific brand of high-tension crime cinema alongside his brother Benny. Their partnership produced some of the most kinetic films of the last decade, but a 2024 split marked a definitive end to their joint era, ushering in a massive solo gamble.
Josh Safdie and his brother Benny Safdie became a prominent filmmaking duo known for their distinctive style in crime thrillers. Their collaborative journey began in earnest with the 2009 feature Daddy Longlegs, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. They continued to build a reputation for intense, atmospheric storytelling with films like Good Time (2017), which competed for the Palme d'Or, and Uncut Gems (2019), an Adam Sandler vehicle executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Their work was often characterized by a shared aesthetic, with Benny frequently handling the editing alongside frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein.
In early 2024, the brothers announced an amicable split to pursue independent solo careers. While their partnership was a defining feature of their early careers, the move allowed Josh to step into a much larger commercial and critical spotlight. Marty Supreme debuted towards the end of 2025, marking his initial independent project following The Pleasure of Being Robbed in 2008. This project represented a significant scale-up in production value, boasting a $70 million budget—the most expensive film in the history of A24.
Marty Supreme, loosely based on the life of hustler-turned-table tennis champion Marty Reisman, signaled Josh's transition to a major awards contender. Featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Timothée Chalamet, the production secured four Academy Award nods, such as Best Director and Best Picture. Despite the shift in scale, Josh maintained his core creative circle, retaining Ronald Bronstein as a co-writer and editor, while bringing in high-profile collaborators like cinematographer Darius Khondji and production designer Jack Fisk to execute his solo vision.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Josh Safdie
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