Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theater, dance, television and films. His work is stylized by its blending of traditional orchestration with contemporary electronic elements.
Biography from TMDB.
- September 19, 1969
- February 9, 2018 (aged 48)
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Composer, also writer and director
- 22 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
What are Jóhann Jóhannsson's films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival 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 18
Light 1 · Serious 5 · Dark 12
A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 8
Steady 12 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 5
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 13
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 6
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet10
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous6
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 Jóhann Jóhannsson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Jóhann Jóhannsson'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
58 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Schnee von gestern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Evolver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all filmsWe Are George Floyd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Last and First Men(2020)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Shadow Play(2018)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Mandy(2018)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Mary Magdalene(2018)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Apparition(2018)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Mercy(2018)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Butcher, The Whore and the One-Eyed Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Mother!(2017)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
A Drowning Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Lovesong(2016)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
A Song For Europa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Arrival(2016)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
In the Blood(2016)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
A Man Returned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Trapped(2015)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Sicario(2015)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The 11th Hour(2014)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Glacier Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Theory of Everything(2014)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
End of Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Blind Massage(2014)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
McCanick(2013)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all filmsMoving Art: Deserts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Moving Art: Forests (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Prisoners(2013)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Quicksand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
White Black Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Pitch: A Sports Arena With a Soul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
For Ellen(2012)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
The Miners' Hymns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Free the Mind(2012)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Junk Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
The Good Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
By Day and by Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Mama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Copenhagen Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Personal Effects(2009)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all filmsMelodia (Guidelines for a Space Propulsion Device Based on Heim's Quantum Theory) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Varmints (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
In the Arms of My Enemy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Penance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Wrestling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Uku Ukai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Sea of Perdition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Thicker Than Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Ashes and Snow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Dís (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
A Man Like Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Plan B (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Icelandic Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
ERRÓ - North - South - East - West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Corpus Camera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Career shape
A full career of 57 titles from 1999 to 2024.
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 Jóhann Jóhannsson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 22 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed9
Reviewers score the sound and music 76/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
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 Jóhann Jóhannsson's work okay for kids?
Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore 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 Jóhann Jóhannsson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jóhann Jóhannsson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Denis Villeneuve shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Denis VilleneuveShared titles: Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Denis Villeneuve
- James MarshShared titles: The Mercy (2018), The Theory of Everything (2014)See all 2 shared titles with James Marsh
- Ye LouShared titles: The Shadow Play (2018), Blind Massage (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Ye Lou
- So Yong KimShared titles: Lovesong (2016), For Ellen (2012)See all 2 shared titles with So Yong Kim
Writers
- Yingli MaShared titles: The Shadow Play (2018), Blind Massage (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Yingli Ma
Actors
- David ThewlisShared titles: The Mercy (2018), The Theory of Everything (2014)See all 2 shared titles with David Thewlis
- Hao QinShared titles: The Shadow Play (2018), Blind Massage (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Hao Qin
- Simon McBurneyShared titles: The Mercy (2018), The Theory of Everything (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Simon McBurney
- Jena MaloneShared titles: Lovesong (2016), For Ellen (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jena Malone
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Sturla Brandth GrøvlenShared titles: Last and First Men (2020), The 11th Hour (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
- Brett W. BachmanShared titles: Mandy (2018), McCanick (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Brett W. Bachman
- Jinx GodfreyShared titles: The Mercy (2018), The Theory of Everything (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Jinx Godfrey
- Jonas ColstrupShared titles: The Shadow Play (2018), In the Blood (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Jonas Colstrup
Producers
- Thor SigurjonssonShared titles: Last and First Men (2020), In the Blood (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Thor Sigurjonsson
- Caroline HewittShared titles: Mary Magdalene (2018), The Mercy (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Caroline Hewitt
- Daniel NoahShared titles: Mandy (2018), McCanick (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel Noah
- Josh C. WallerShared titles: Mandy (2018), McCanick (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Josh C. Waller
