Skip to content
Motif
Susan Johnson

Susan Johnson

Producer and director · Born December 18, 1970 (55) · Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Susan Johnson was born on December 18, 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is a producer and director, known for To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018), Carrie Pilby (2016) and Untitled Fairy Tale Project.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 18, 1970 (55)
From
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Works as
Producer and director
Titles
13 on Motif · 16 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 28Down 17% in 30 days

What are Susan Johnson's films like?

Across their 13 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Motif score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Motif score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif 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
Self
30%
Bonds
30%
Survival
19%
Morality
9%
Society
7%
Ideas
5%
Coming of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 6 · Intense 1

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 11 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
6
Joyful
6
Hopeful
5
Contemplative
4
Romantic
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1

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 Susan Johnson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 13 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Susan Johnson's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

16 credits, 13 with a Motif page.

  • Niemand (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    as Mrs. Hilltop

  • To All the Boys: Always and Forever(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 60th percentile of all films

  • To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • To All the Boys I've Loved Before(2018)

    Director

    Motif score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Unleashed(2016)

    Producer

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Carrie Pilby(2016)

    Director · Producer

    Motif score: 70th percentile of all films

  • God Help the Girl(2014)

    Co-Executive Producer

    Motif score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Don't Let Me Go(2013)

    Producer

    Motif score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Eye of the Hurricane(2012)

    Producer

    Motif score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Beneath the Blue(2010)

    Producer

    Motif score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Wieners(2008)

    Producer

    Motif score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Eye of the Dolphin(2006)

    Producer

    Motif score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Nearing Grace(2005)

    Producer

    Motif score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Mean Creek(2004)

    Producer

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Rabbit Cake (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

  • Untitled Fairy Tale Project (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 13 titles, 11 of them dated from 2004 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Mean Creek (2004)

$803K worldwide

Highest rated

Mean Creek (2004)

Motif 87th

Most popular right now

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 13: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting4 of 13: 2 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing10 of 13: 8 only producing, 2 with another role · typical Motif score55th

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s5 · crew2020s3 · 1 acting · 2 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Susan Johnson's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Motif score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · producer

Don't Let Me Go (2013)

95th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Mean Creek (2004)

Motif 87th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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.

Is Susan Johnson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles3–49 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles27–46 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 31
Profanity5 titles20–71 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 35
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles8–54 · median 11 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles4–55 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Susan Johnson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Susan Johnson's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Fimognari shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles