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Carl Bessai

Carl Bessai

Director, writer, cinematographer, producer and actor · Edmonton, Canada

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Carl Bessai (born 1966 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Bessai studied at OCAD University and at York University in Toronto graduating with a Master of Fine Arts Degree. He got his start directing documentary films before moving to Vancouver and directing his debut feature film Johnny in 1999. Bessai has made a career working on low-budget independent features but has worked with A-List actors Ian McKellen and Deborah Kara Unger on his film Emile and Carrie-Anne Moss on his film Normal. He was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction for the latter film. Bessai is a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, the Writer’s Guild of Canada, and the Canadian Film and Television Producer's Association. Description above from the Wikipedia article Carl Bessai, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

From
Edmonton, Canada
Works as
Director, writer, cinematographer, producer and actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28

What are Carl Bessai's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
27%
Bonds
22%
Self
20%
Morality
13%
Power
11%
Ideas
5%
Society
2%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Melancholic
6
Dread
3
Warm
2
Absurd
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Carl Bessai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Carl Bessai's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • Waltz for the Dead Clown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Production Manager

  • 4 or 5 things I want you to know about me (an essay) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Writer

  • Field Sketches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • WAR TIMES (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Production Supervisor

  • Evelyne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Gary

  • Kreuzberg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • The Lears(2017)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Rehearsal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Ungodly Acts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director

  • Mr. Miracle(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Bad City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • No Clue(2013)

    Director · Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Embrace of the Vampire(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Sisters & Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • Repeaters(2010)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Fathers & Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • Hiccups (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Fathers and Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • Gloves of Stone(2009)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Cole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Mothers & Daughters(2008)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer · as Documentary Filmmaker

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • A Charman Event (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Normal(2007)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • They Wait(2007)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Unnatural & Accidental (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Severed(2005)

    Director · Author

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Floored by Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Emile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • Lola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Out of Orbit: The Life and Times of Marshall McLuhan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Johnny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Writer

  • Influence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • T.U.R.D (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Quarrell McHumphrey

  • The Black Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 30 of them dated from 1999 to 2026.

Biggest box office

They Wait (2007)

$464K worldwide

Highest rated

No Clue (2013)

Midcredits 40th

Most popular right now

Normal (2007)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 33: 2 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting27 of 33: 11 only directing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score24thWriting12 of 33: 1 only writing, 11 with another roleProducing7 of 33: 0 only producing, 7 with another roleCinematography9 of 33: 1 only cinematography, 8 with another roleEditing1 of 33: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 33: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

33 titles, 16 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 11 of them.

By decade

1990s2 · crew2000s10 · 1 acting · 10 crew2010s13 · crew2020s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Carl Bessai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 25th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

25thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 10 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · writer

Gloves of Stone (2009)

92nd percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

No Clue (2013)

Midcredits 40th · 41% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 36/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Carl Bessai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Carl Bessai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Shearer shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers