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Jan Kounen

Jan Kounen

Director and writer · Born May 2, 1964 (62) · Utrecht, Netherlands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jan Kounen (born 2 May 1964, Utrecht, Netherlands) is a Dutch-born French film director and producer. In France, he is mostly known for his films Dobermann (1997), Blueberry, l'experience secrete (2004) and 99 francs (2007). Outside of France, he is rather known for his interest in Shipibo-Conibo culture and shamanism, with which he became familiar during his trips to Mexico and Peru, and for some music videos. Most noticeable are the four videos he did for the English pop group Erasure in the 1990s (including three for the project Abba-esque) :     Lay all your love on me (1992)     Voulez-vous (1992)     S.O.S. (1992)     Always (1994) Description above from the Wikipedia article Jan Kounen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 2, 1964 (62)
From
Utrecht, Netherlands
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
11 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 9% in 30 days

What are Jan Kounen's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Survival.

Genres

Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
Power
21%
Survival
17%
Bonds
16%
Ideas
15%
Morality
12%
Self
11%
Society
9%
Survival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 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 2 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 6 · 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 3 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Absurd
3
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
3
Thrilling
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Thought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

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 Jan Kounen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jan Kounen'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, 11 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Shrinking Man(2025)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • My Cousin(2020)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Ayahuasca: Kosmik Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Writer

  • 7 Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • -22.7°C The Far North Musical Experience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • The Show(2018)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Vape Wave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Writer · as Self / The taster / Marisol Tout-Reine

  • Uchronia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as L'ouvreuse du cinéma

  • The Journey: Mère Océan(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 9-Month Stretch(2013)

    as Le co-détenu chauve 2

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Flight of the Storks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Players(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky(2009)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Amer(2009)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • 8 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Writer

  • 99 Francs(2007)

    Director · Co-Writer · as Pydjhaman

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Cinema 16: European Short Films (European Edition) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • The Story of Panshin Beka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Darshan - The Embrance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Writer

  • Jan Kounen - Intégrale courts métrages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Scenario Writer

  • Other Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Producer · as Self

  • Renegade(2004)

    Director · Screenstory · as Billy

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Last Little Red Riding Hood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Writer

  • Sodomites (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Thanks

  • Dobermann(1997)

    Director · as Man at bank

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • I Am Your Punishment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as The Ax Murderer

  • Capitaine X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Producer

  • Formidable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Vibroboy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Eurotrash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Gisèle Kérozène (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Author · as Le Paralytique

  • L'âge de plastic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Blake & Mortimer: The Yellow M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Epiphania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 31 of them dated from 1990 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Players (2012)

$25M worldwide

Highest rated

99 Francs (2007)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

The Shrinking Man (2025)

Film career

  • 1990Screen debut· Gisèle Kérozène

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting8 of 33: 4 only acting, 4 with another roleDirecting26 of 33: 10 only directing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score39thWriting14 of 33: 1 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score27thProducing2 of 33: 0 only producing, 2 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 13 of them.

By decade

1990s10 · 4 acting · 8 crew2000s10 · 2 acting · 10 crew2010s9 · 2 acting · 7 crew2020s2 · 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 Jan Kounen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 10; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

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

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

The Show (2018)

71st percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer

99 Francs (2007)

Midcredits 85th · 75% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 6 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.

Is Jan Kounen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles50–63 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 Jan Kounen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jan Kounen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Anny Danché shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers