Riley Stearns (born June 29, 1986) is an American writer-director, best known for his feature films "Faults" (2014), "The Art of Self-Defense" (2019) and "Dual" (2022). He was married to actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead from 2010 to 2017.
Biography from TMDB.
- June 29, 1986 (40)
- Austin, Texas, USA
- Director, writer and producer
- 6 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
What are Riley Stearns' films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 1
Light 0 · Serious 3 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 2
Steady 0 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 0 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous4
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 Riley Stearns' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Riley Stearns' 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
12 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
The Vince Staples Show(2024)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Dual(2022)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Happily(2021)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The Blanket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Joel Calls Indie Film Type Dudes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Art of Self-Defense(2019)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Faults(2014)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
The Cub (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Casque (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Magnificat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Tower Prep(2010)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all showsArteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles, 11 of them dated from 2010 to 2024.
Film career
- 2022Screen debut· Dual
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
2 major nominations and no wins, 2013–2022.
- Sundance award, nominated · Dramatic
- Sundance award, nominated
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 Riley Stearns' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 38/100 in their films, across 3 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 Riley Stearns' work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Riley Stearns work with?
People who share at least 2 of Riley Stearns' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Ragen shares the most, 3.
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Michael RagenShared titles: Dual (2022), The Art of Self-Defense (2019), Faults (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Ragen
- Sarah Beth ShapiroShared titles: Dual (2022), The Art of Self-Defense (2019), Faults (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Sarah Beth Shapiro
- Heather McIntoshShared titles: The Art of Self-Defense (2019), Faults (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Heather McIntosh
