The Safdie Brothers Are Done Collaborating (for Now, Anyway)

There comes a time for nearly every pair of filmmaking siblings when they opt to go their separate ways, at least for a while. Lana Wachowski directed the underrated The Matrix Resurrections solo, for instance, and both Joel and Ethan Coen have been working on projects on their own lately. And while the Safdie Brothers seemed to be carrying the torch for filmmaking siblings, it now appears that they, too, are looking to each work on their own.

Writing at The New York Times, Aimee Ortiz had the news following an interview Benny Safdie gave to Variety earlier this month. Calling the split a “natural progression,” Benny told Variety‘s Ethan Shanfeld that the decision was a friendly one. “I will direct on my own, and I will explore things that I want to explore,” he said. “I want that freedom right now in my life.”

Admittedly, there have been some signs of solo work in the pipeline from the Safdies — most notably, the recent announcement that Benny Safdie was working on a film to star Dwayne Johnson for studio A24. Among the questions left unanswered by Benny’s comments is the status of a film set to reunite the brothers with their Uncut Gems star Adam Sandler. Variety reports that the project is still on hold.

It isn’t necessarily shocking that the two brothers would seek to work separately at some point. As mentioned above, they’re far from the only siblings who have opted to take a break from collaborating, and it seems entirely possible that the two could work together in the future. Or, hey — maybe the solo work each does on their own will prove to be better than the high mark they’ve already set in their work together.

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That said, if you are seeking to watch another Sandler/Safdies collaboration, there is the short film Goldman v Silverman, in which Sandler and Benny Safdie play feuding Times Square street performers. It’s not a feature by any stretch of the imagination, but it is deeply entertaining — and might make you cross your fingers for a fraternal reunion before too long.