5 Must-See Movies Recommended by the Safdie Brothers

5 Movies the Safdie Brothers Want You to See

If those viral Letterboxd interviews with actors and filmmakers are any indication, most people enjoy hearing about the movies others love. I know I do.

I enjoy learning about the works that inspire other writers and directors, and what creative decisions, performances, and visuals in each movie resonate with them as viewers.

Josh and Benny Safdie, brothers who have directed projects together and now work solo, are cinephiles who often draw inspiration from deep-cut films.

Together, they directed Good Time with Robert Pattinson and Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler. More recently, Josh Safdie directed the upcoming Marty Supreme, starring and produced by Timothée Chalamet. Benny Safdie’s new movie is the sports biopic The Smashing Machine, featuring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr.

They’ve shared their favorite films in various interviews. Here are five you should definitely check out.

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

A man searches Rome with his young son for the stolen bicycle he needs to keep his job in this Italian neorealist masterpiece. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, this influential film cast real people alongside professional actors.

Josh Safdie called this the “holy grail, the ultimate filmmaking bible” in his Criterion Collection top 10 list, describing it as “a north star project” over at Rotten Tomatoes.

He noted that it maximizes its use of father/son dynamics and real locations, all while its pure emotional current is understated yet deeply felt.

Josh admired how director De Sica cast a real factory worker, Lamberto Maggiorani, after he showed up to an audition with his son, and cast the child actor off the street while filming.

A Man Escaped (1956)

In this thriller from Robert Bresson, a French Resistance fighter plans his escape from a Nazi prison during World War II.

Benny Safdie told Rotten Tomatoes that this is his favorite movie of all time because “it always makes me cry at the end, as I feel like I’ve achieved something that the character achieves.”

He praised its minimalist approach, stating that every shot serves a purpose, every sound on the soundtrack is carefully selected, and each line of dialogue carries meaning.

Close-Up (1990)

A man who impersonated a famous Iranian director stands trial while the real filmmaker recreates his story with the actual participants. Abbas Kiarostami blurred the lines between documentary and fiction in this work.

Josh Safdie described this as influential because of “the way that film blends fiction and reality, it is a north star for me.”

He explained that it prompts you to question your own identity and empathy.

The French Connection (1971)

A New York detective becomes obsessed with busting a French heroin smuggling ring in this gritty crime thriller featuring one of cinema’s greatest car chases. William Friedkin brought a documentary-style realism to this Oscar-winning film, which stars the late Gene Hackman.

Benny Safdie praised this film during their Rotten Tomatoes interview, stating, “Just seeing that car barrel through the streets, you feel the danger and the pressure of it all. It’s doing pulp in a whole new way and in a visceral manner.”

He added that the characters have real stakes and experiences, and [director William] Friedkin is a master.

Il Posto (1961)

A young man from the countryside secures a low-level corporate job in post-war Milan, finding brief romance amid the soul-crushing bureaucracy in Il Posto, directed by Ermanno Olmi.

The Safdie brothers said this Italian neorealist film “changed Benny’s life.”

Benny shared during the brothers’ Criterion Closet video, “I was going to be a physicist. I dropped out of my school, and then Josh told me to come to his class, where they were showing all these neorealist films, and this was one of them. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, you can make movies like this?'”

For more of the Safdies’ favorites, you can find an extended collection on Letterboxd. Let us know which ones you like or still need to see!