Why The Safdie Brothers Split Up After Uncut Gems

The Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny, have collaborated on five films together, starting with their breakout film, "Daddy Longlegs" in 2009. The pair made a sports documentary called "Lenny Cooke" in 2013 and the psycho-drama "Heaven Knows What" in 2014, but they achieved a notable amount of fame in 2017 with the release of "Good Time" starring Robert Pattinson. The world finally took notice of their tense, panicked filmmaking style, so much so that they were nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. They followed "Good Time" in 2019 with "Uncut Gems," their biggest hit to date. Starring Adam Sandler, "Uncut Gems" made an impressive $50 million at the box office and won the Safdies' Best Director at the Independent Spirit Awards. Critics loved it. 

The Safdies, however, haven't made a movie together since. Benny has elected instead to work on a solo project called "The Smashing Machine," a biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Benny wrote, directed, and produced "The Smashing Machine," and it looks to be an early contender for the Academy Awards. It's due in theaters on October 3. Josh, meanwhile, has directed, produced, and co-written his own sports drama called "Marty Supreme," starring Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow as fictional characters in the world of Olympic-level table tennis. It's due in theaters on December 25. 

Why did the Safdies elect to go their separate ways and make movies on their own? It seems that it was just the next logical step for them both. Benny explained in a recent issue of Empire Magazine that he and Josh had actually started their filmmaking paths separately from one another, and each made movies on their own before joining to make several movies together. After "Uncut Gems," they each revealed that they had separate filmmaking interests and had no compunctions about pursuing those projects individually. There's no bad blood between the brothers. They just wanted to do different things. 

It's worth noting that Josh Safdie had made several shorts without Benny early in his career, only occasionally teaming with his brother. His first movie was a low-budget 16mm drama called "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which he directed, produced, co-wrote, and co-starred in with Eleonore Hendricks. Benny and Josh only worked together as editors on that film. They also edited "Daddy Longlegs" together, but Bunny took over as solo editor for the rest of the directorial collaborations. Benny, meanwhile, completed his own first solo short, "The Acquaintances of a Lonely John," in 2008. They would go on to make 10 additional short films as a team, but they each knew how to make movies solo. 

When "Uncut Gems" came to an end, it seemed like a good time for the brothers to work on new solo projects. Again, this was no comment on the work they had done together up to that time, but a mere return to their early days, occasionally making movies on their own. As Benny put it: 

"[W]e were always working towards something, and when we reached that place it was almost like, 'Oh, well, what now?' [...] Then it was like, 'I'm interested in this,' and, 'I'm interested in this,' and then you want to figure that out. [...] It just felt like a continuation of a process."

However, because both brothers immediately made sports dramas as their post-"Uncut" solo films, and because they're being released within mere months of each other, many audience members will likely see it as a competition. Which one will make more money? Which one will be nominated for more Oscars? Which one is better? It seems, though, that audiences will be more preoccupied with such ideas than the Safdies themselves. They just wanted to make the movies they wanted to make.