Cary Joji Fukunaga — In Search of Family

Currently with only three feature films and a television show to his name, writer-director Cary Fukunaga is one of the most versatile auteurs in cinema. Since 2009 he has brought on some of the most brutally atmospheric films and TV episodes just through the sheer tone of reality. His consistency lies in his character’s efforts to establish a family through dire or self created circumstances that isolates themselves within a violent world which aims to consume them. In just a few years he has gone on to work with HBO on a television series, get film distribution from the emerging streaming market leader Netflix, and work with grade celebrities all whist on relatively low budgets. A brief filmography that’s akin to an even more violent Paul Thomas Anderson.

Join me as I explore some of Fukunaga’s most tense moments in this Video Essay.

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Works Cited

Beasts of No Nation. Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga. Perf. Abraham Attah, Emmanuel Affadzi, and Ricky Adelayitor. Red Crown Productions, 2015. Film.

Jane Eyre. Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga. Perf. Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, and Jamie Bell. Focus Features, 2011. Film.

Sin Nombre. Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga. Perf. Paulina Gaitan, Marco Antonio Aguirre, and Leonardo Alonso. Scion Films, 2009. Film.

“The Long Bright Dark.” True Detective: Season One. Writ. Nic Pizzolatto. Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga. HBO, 2014. Television.