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Maria Rusche

Maria Rusche

Cinematographer

Maria Rusche is Cuban-American and grew up outside of Boston. They got their start as a gaffer and lighting technician on major feature films and television shows where they developed their eye for lighting and the collaborative skills that are essential to a cinematographer. They are known for their work on Emma Seligman’s feature debut Shiva Baby (SXSW 2020 & TIFF 2020) and Emma’s second film Bottoms, which was produced by MGM Orion and headlined SXSW 2023 before it was released theatrically. Maria also shot Seasons 2 & 3 of the hit Showtime series Couples Therapy. In 2018, Maria was invited to teach Cinematography at NYU Tisch School of the Arts where they were an adjunct professor until 2021. They are based in Brooklyn.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 6% in 30 days

What are Maria Rusche's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
40%
Bonds
36%
Society
15%
Morality
5%
Power
4%
Self-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 4 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 4 · 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 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
3
Hopeful
4
Bittersweet
3
Warm
3
Absurd
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

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 Maria Rusche's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Maria Rusche'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

25 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Roommates(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Summer of 69(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Empire Waist(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • A Different Man(2024)

    "B" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Bottoms(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Love, Barbara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • Dating & New York(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Lesbian Bar Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Shiva Baby(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Big Exit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • 10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up(2020)

    Gaffer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Milkwater(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Nowhere to Nun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Georgica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Couples Therapy(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Debbie Does Dilators (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer

  • Who We Are Now(2017)

    Gaffer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • August in the City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • One Good Pitch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • The Pink Detachment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Distance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • Five Song Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 23 titles, 21 of them dated from 2015 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Bottoms (2023)

$13M worldwide

Highest rated

Couples Therapy (2019)

Midcredits 93rd

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography20 of 23: 20 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thOther crew3 of 23: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s9 · crew2020s12 · 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 Maria Rusche's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 12 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · cinematographer

Empire Waist (2024)

89th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Couples Therapy (2019)

Midcredits 93rd · 90% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 62/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Maria Rusche's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 65 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 46 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Maria Rusche work with?

People who share at least 2 of Maria Rusche's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hanna Park shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers