James Gray (born April 14, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. Since his feature debut Little Odessa in 1994, he has made seven other features, including We Own the Night (2007), Two Lovers (2008), The Immigrant (2013), The Lost City of Z (2016), Ad Astra (2019), and Armageddon Time (2022). Five of his films have competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Gray, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 14, 1969 (57)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Director, writer and producer, also editor and actor
- 17 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
What are James Gray's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 15
Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 9
Grounded 10 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 5
Steady 6 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 8
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous5
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 James Gray's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
- Lionsgate+, show their 2 titles on Lionsgate+
- Magnolia Selects, show their 2 titles on Magnolia Selects
- Cinemax, show their title on Cinemax
- Dox, show their title on Dox
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
- Sundance Now, show their title on Sundance Now
Subscription and free streaming for James Gray'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
31 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Paper Tiger(2026)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Short Cuts: James Gray's "We Own the Night" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Armageddon Time(2022)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Windfall(2022)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Le Nozze di Figaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Ad Astra(2019)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Diane(2018)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The Lost City of Z(2016)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Swift Current(2016)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Afro-Woman: 2016 CE (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
A Timewatch Guide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
The Rover(2014)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Red Road(2014)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
The Immigrant(2013)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Blood Ties(2013)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all filmsLucky Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
I'm Still Here(2010)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Digging for Britain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Two Lovers(2008)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
We Own the Night(2007)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Yards(2000)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Little Odessa(1994)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Future Shock(1994)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Mr. Petrified Forrest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Cowboys and Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Ezekiel Moss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Kill Your Darlings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Mailer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Mayday 109 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Sun Also Rises (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled James Gray Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 30 titles, 23 of them dated from 1991 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Ad Astra (2019)
Highest rated
Faye (2024)
Most popular right now
The Lost City of Z (2016)
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
1 major award from 12 major nominations, 1994–2026.
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated
- Venice award, nominated · Best Film
- Cannes award, nominated
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Director
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated
Show 2 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best First Feature
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best First Screenplay
- Venice award, won
- Venice 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 James Gray's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th13
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 12 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 James Gray's work okay for kids?
Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
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 James Gray work with?
People who share at least 2 of James Gray's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Axelrad shares the most, 5.
Writers
- Ric MenelloShared titles: The Immigrant (2013), Two Lovers (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Ric Menello
- Matt ReevesShared titles: The Yards (2000), Future Shock (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Reeves
Actors
- Joaquin PhoenixShared titles: The Immigrant (2013), Two Lovers (2008), We Own the Night (2007), The Yards (2000)See all 4 shared titles with Joaquin Phoenix
- Faye DunawayShared titles: Faye (2024), The Yards (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Faye Dunaway
- Antoni CoroneShared titles: The Immigrant (2013), We Own the Night (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Antoni Corone
- James CaanShared titles: Blood Ties (2013), The Yards (2000)See all 2 shared titles with James Caan
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- John AxelradShared titles: Ad Astra (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), The Immigrant (2013), Two Lovers (2008), We Own the Night (2007)See all 5 shared titles with John Axelrad
- Christopher SpelmanShared titles: Armageddon Time (2022), The Lost City of Z (2016), The Immigrant (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Christopher Spelman
- Darius KhondjiShared titles: Armageddon Time (2022), The Lost City of Z (2016), The Immigrant (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Darius Khondji
- Lee HaugenShared titles: Ad Astra (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Lee Haugen
Producers
- Anthony KatagasShared titles: Armageddon Time (2022), Ad Astra (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), The Immigrant (2013), Two Lovers (2008)See all 5 shared titles with Anthony Katagas
- Marc ButanShared titles: Armageddon Time (2022), Ad Astra (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), Two Lovers (2008), We Own the Night (2007)See all 5 shared titles with Marc Butan
- Doug TorresShared titles: Armageddon Time (2022), Ad Astra (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), The Immigrant (2013)See all 4 shared titles with Doug Torres
- Rodrigo TeixeiraShared titles: Paper Tiger (2026), Armageddon Time (2022), Ad Astra (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Rodrigo Teixeira
