Australian director, writer, producer, and actorDavid Michôdhas been working since the early 2000s in film and television, taking on several different roles across numerous notable projects. Born in Sydney, Australia, David Michôd began his professional career in 2000, appearing in a minor role in a TV show,Eugénie Sandler P.I.That same year he wrote and appeared in his first short film,Noise. He took a bit of a hiatus until 2005 when he wrote and appeared in his second short film, which led to a flurry ofshort films before he stepped into majorfeature-length movies.
It was in 2010 that Michôd finally broke out into mainstream pop culture with his Australian crime drama,Animal Kingdom, which was eventually turned into a popular and long-lived television series. While he has continued to dot his filmography with small acting roles, it’s clear Michôd has his eye on directing, having made four movies in the 2010s, with two more,Wizards!and an untitled Christy Martin film on the way. He’s dabbled in television directing and writing as well, andhis oeuvre is now a unique collection of projects and roles within those projects.
Enlightenedis an underrated comedy-drama from Mike White that follows Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern), a powerful and once-respected executive who after a nervous breakdown finds herself an outcast and demoted at Abaddonn, her corrupt and abusive company. With a new, “enlightened” outlook on life, Amy decides to turn whistleblower on her company and unveil the terrible things they’ve been doing. David Michôd directed season 2, episode 7, “No Doubt”, which ended up being the penultimate episode of the series.
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It’s a completely unique series and a showcase for Mike White’s talents and ideas, which he would eventually get to fully realize years later withThe White Lotus. David Michôd’s episode is quite plot-heavy which doesn’t allow the director to do what he does best, but he still is a confident, competent hand guiding White’s unusual and overlooked series that’s worth returning to.
David Michôd directed the pilot ofFlesh and Bonein 2015, titled “Bulling Through”. The Starz series examines the ballet world in raw depth by following the founder and artistic director of the American Ballet Company, Paul Grayson (Ben Daniels), an angry and volatile man desperate to make his company one of the premiere artistic institutions in the world. To do so, he brings in a young ballerina, Claire Robbins (Sarah Hay), much to the chagrin of his aging star, Kiira (Irina Dvorovenko).
There’s a distinct lack of levity as well, another Michôd staple, but in this long intense drama, that lack of relief is a bit of a problem.
Flesh and Bonesucceeds because of the relationships between the characters and the specifics of professional ballet, which were standards set by Michôd’s direction in the first episode. There’s a distinct lack of levity as well, another Michôd staple, but in this long intense drama, that lack of relief is a bit of a problem.
One of the few times David Michôd has acted in something without being a part of production,Mr Inbetweenis an Australian black comedy-crime drama series from 2018. Michôd plays Peter in four episodes across seasons 1 and 2. The show is a serialization of the 2005 movieThe Magicianand stars Scott Ryan as Ray Shoesmith, a hitman who has to figure out how to balance his criminal life and family obligations. Michôd’s Peter is an anger management counselor and a complete failure as a therapist.
David Michôd wroteHesherin 2010, and it was directed by Spencer Susser in his one and only directing credit. The film follows the titular Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a rebellious teenage metalhead who befriends a young, depressed freshman named T.J. Forney (Devin Brochu), who is still dealing with the fallout of his mother’s untimely death. Natalie Portman, John Carroll Lynch, and Rainn Wilson also star.
For as much as the story is concerned with regret, forgiveness, and grief, there is a refreshing lack of sentimentality that makesHesherfeel honest and weighty.That lack of treacle also means the dark humor is much funnier and works better within the film, surprising laughs out of the audience at the perfect moments. While the plot doesn’t exactly go anywhere special, Michôd’s ability to write well-rounded real characters is as obvious here as it ever is.
David Michôd’s third feature-length film,War Machinestars Brad Pitt as four-star American General Glen McMahon, who recently won plaudits for his leadership during the 2009 campaign in Iraq. Based in part on the non-fiction book,The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistanby Michael Hastings,War Machineis a satirical comedy that sees McMahon sent to Afghanistan to end the war there in any way he can figure out, as long as he doesn’t ask for more troops.
The plot ofWar Machineis a fictionalized version of events in Hastings' novel with McMahon being a stand-in for real-life US Army General Stanley McChrystal.
As always,Michôd’s writing is sharp and witty, and it’s hard to poke holes in his story, but the execution ofWar Machineleaves a little to be desired. Satire is a difficult genre to do effectively, andwar satire movies present a particularly high barrierfor entry. It’s not always clear exactly what Michôd wants to say about the American military-industrial complex, but a lot of the problems are effectively covered up by the excellent performances and dialogue.
The Rover
Cast
The Rover is set a decade after a global economic collapse, in a desolate Australian outback. The film follows a resolute loner as he relentlessly pursues the thieves who stole his car, accompanied by the injured brother of one of the criminals as they navigate a lawless and unforgiving landscape.
The Roveris David Michôd’s second feature film and is set in the modern-day Australian outback, ten years after a global economic collapse sent the world into a tailspin. The outback is now a lawless wasteland where small armed bands compete for control over the populace and the limited resources, à laMad Max. Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star as Eric and Reynolds, respectively, two men trying to survive who become unlikely allies.
A near-future post-apocalyptic film,The Roverhas some plotting issues as Michôd tries to elucidate his point about violence, terror, and revenge, but the chemistry and performances by Pearce and Pattinson are so fantastic, that they alone make the film incredibly watchable. Far from being a satirical romp through the desert likeMad Max,The Roveris appropriately grim and mean that never lets its foot off the gas pedal.
Based on Joseph Heller’s seminal 1961 novel of the same name, theCatch-22TV miniseries premiered in 2019, developed by David Michôd and Luke Davies, the Academy Award-nominated writer forLion. Christopher Abbott stars as Captain John Yossarian, an Army Air Forces bombardier in World War II who is trapped within the bureaucratic insanity of a war machine that won’t let him leave because anyone wishing to leave must be of sound mind and anyone of sound mind must be on the front lines to fight.
Michôd reverently commits to the specifics of the novel and gives his actors room to perform.
Catch-22is the quintessential war satire, and Heller’s novel is as darkly hilarious as it is disquieting. It’s hard to make any adaptation as smart as the original, but Michôd gets close. His understanding of the collision of violence and humor comes in handy. He reverently commits to the specifics of the novel and gives his actors room to perform. The six-episode series was nominated for two Golden Globes and gets to the heart of what Michôd was trying to do inWar Machine.
The successor TV show to his 2010 movie, David Michôd’s 2010Animal Kingdomwas adapted into a six-season crime drama TV show in 2016 for TNT. Michôd served as producer for the entire series based on his story. The show stars Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, and Finn Cole as characters from the movie in the now-expanded story.Animal Kingdomcovers the many crimes of the Cody family while also flashing back to Smurf’s younger yearsas she built her empire.
While occasionally predictable in the way many crime dramas can be,Animal Kingdom’s impressive cast of charactersmakes even the most obvious plot moments shine. There are unexpected turns as well and diving deeper into the dark and twisted heart of the family drama consistently offers exciting and fresh insights into Australia, crime, and familial relationships.
The Kingwas a criminally overlooked period drama, and the first time I became convinced Timothée Chalamet would become a true movie star. David Michôd’s fourth movie is based on several plays from the Henriad, William Shakespeare’s collection of plays about the rise of the English kings.The Kingfollows Henry, Prince of Wales (Chalamet), the unwilling heir to the English throne who sets off to France as King Henry V after a failed assassination attempt.
The Kingis dirty, violent, and real. The fights in the mud are not pretty and feel more like bare-knuckled boxing matches. Henry’s final duel with the Duke of Guyenne, an incredible Robert Pattinson, ends with the Duke slipping pathetically in the mud, without Henry even needing to raise an arm.Michôd directs a tragic tale that never feels slow, and each heavy moment is supported by excellent writing and tensionso that it’s still well-paced.
David Michôd’s breakout project,Animal Kingdom, is partially inspired by the real-life Australian crime family, the Pettengills of Melbourne. The film specifically depicts the killing of a police officer in Melbourne that led to the killer’s acquittal. James Frecheville stars as Joshua “J” Daniel Cody, a young man whose mother dies. Seeking help, he goes to his grandmother, Smurf Cody’s (Jacki Weaver), the diabolical head of the crime family, and gets wrapped up in a world of violence.
A violent and grim film,Animal Kingdomis a wonderfully tense movie with an incredibly smart script and confident directing from the young director. It’s an impressivedebut from the first-time feature-length directorand is a testament to how working on short films can build the skills necessary for a career in feature films.David Michôdalso wrangled an all-star cast, getting terrifying performances from Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, and Joel Edgerton.
