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Sam Taylor-Johnson

Sam Taylor-Johnson

Director and producer, also writer and actor · Born March 4, 1967 (59) · London, England, UK

Sam Taylor-Johnson (born Samantha Louise Taylor-Wood; 4 March 1967) is an English director and producer. She is best known for directing the films Nowhere Boy (2009), Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), and Love You More (2008).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 4, 1967 (59)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Director and producer, also writer and actor
Titles
8 on Motif · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 5% in 30 days

What are Sam Taylor-Johnson's films like?

Across their 7 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Motif score: 12th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Motif score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography 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
38%
Survival
20%
Society
16%
Bonds
14%
Ideas
7%
Morality
3%
Power
2%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAddiction2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 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 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 3

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · 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 3 · Engaged 3 · 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 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
4
Tense
3
Warm
3
Cold
1
Bittersweet
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Thought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Sam Taylor-Johnson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Taylor-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

38 credits, 8 with a Motif page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Back to Black(2024)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Solos(2021)

    Show 7 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Hunters(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • A Million Little Pieces(2018)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Motif score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Gypsy(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Fifty Shades of Grey(2015)

    Director

    Motif score: 12th percentile of all films

  • James Bond Supports International Women's Day (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Nowhere Boy(2009)

    Director

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Love You More (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Producer

  • Sigh (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Three Minute Round (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • That White Rush (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • The Servant (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • The Last Century (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Death Valley (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Destricted(2006)

    Director · Writer

    Motif score: 10th percentile of all films

  • After Van Halen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • David (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Ascension (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Strings (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Prelude in Air (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • A Little Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Mute (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Pieta (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · as Herself

  • Still Life (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Breach (Girl & Eunuch) (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Hysteria (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Third Party (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Method in Madness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Noli Me Tangere (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Atlantic (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Knackered (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Misfit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Travesty of a Mockery (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Brontosaurus (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Killing Time (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Pent-Up (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Middlesex (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles, 37 of them dated from 1994 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

$570M worldwide

Highest rated

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Motif 85th

Most popular right now

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing38 of 38: 33 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Motif score44thWriting2 of 38: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 38: 0 only producing, 4 with another role

38 titles, 5 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s11 · crew2000s19 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s3 · 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 Sam Taylor-Johnson's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Motif score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

85th percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Motif 85th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 60/100 and the pacing 38/100 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 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 Sam Taylor-Johnson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles37–88 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 31
Profanity5 titles59–73 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 35
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 72 · intenseMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles33–61 · median 50 · moderateheavier 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 Sam Taylor-Johnson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Taylor-Johnson's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Seamus McGarvey shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors