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Charlie McDowell

Charlie McDowell

Director, producer and writer · Born July 10, 1983 (43) · Los Angeles, California, USA

Independent Spirit Award winner

Charlie McDowell (born July 10, 1983) is an American film director and writer. He is the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 10, 1983 (43)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 19 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 156 days to Oct 27Up 50% in 30 days

What are Charlie McDowell's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
Morality
26%
Bonds
21%
Self
19%
Society
11%
Survival
10%
Ideas
10%
Power
4%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 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

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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 5 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · 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 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 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 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
5
Tense
4
Contemplative
3
Bittersweet
3
Cold
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Thought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet5
  • 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 Charlie McDowell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Charlie McDowell'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

19 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lurker(2025)

    Producer · Actor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Insider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 1 episode · as Sig selv

  • The Summer Book(2024)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Memory(2023)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Windfall(2022)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • On the Line: The Richard Williams Story(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Loop(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • On Becoming a God in Central Florida(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Dear White People(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • The Discovery(2017)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Legion(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The One I Love(2014)

    Director · Executive Producer · as Madison (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Silicon Valley(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Bye Bye Benjamin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director · Writer

  • Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals: Live at the Hollywood Bowl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • 2103: The Deadly Wake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Servant (uncredited)

  • Gilded Rage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Patience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Untitled Breakfast at Tiffany's Making of Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles, 15 of them dated from 1997 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Lurker (2025)

$688K worldwide

Highest rated

The One I Love (2014)

Midcredits 81st

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 18: 2 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting12 of 18: 4 only directing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thWriting5 of 18: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing6 of 18: 1 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thCinematography1 of 18: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 18: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

18 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s2 · crew2010s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew2020s6 · 2 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.

Awards

Won an Independent Spirit Award in 2026, Best First Feature.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Charlie McDowell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · director

Dear White People (2017)

94th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Silicon Valley (2014)

Midcredits 98th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 34/100 in their films, across 5 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 Charlie McDowell's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 2 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles18–51 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles15–50 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 28 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 51 · moderateMedian 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 Charlie McDowell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Charlie McDowell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alex Orlovsky shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers