Following the release of their long-gestating passion project UNCUT GEMS in 2019, Josh and Benny Safdie were faced with the endless possibilities of a wide-open creative future. Rather than dive immediately into development on a new feature, the brothers would make a short detour into the warm familiarity of the short-form medium. 2020 would see the release of a new short film and a music video, both shaped by the influence of their newest, closest collaborators.
GOLDMAN V. SILVERMAN (2020)
Presented under their own Elara production banner and produced with the support of A24 and Scott Rudin, GOLDMAN V. SILVERMAN reunites Josh and Benny with UNCUT GEMS’ Adam Sandler in a short sketch made in their signature “street theater” style. A pseudo-sequel to their 2012 short SOLID GOLD, the piece pits Sandler and Benny against each other as Goldman and Silverman, two dueling Times Square street performers. Rendered unrecognizable by a gold mask, hat and body paint, Sandler is able to blend in effortlessly into the busy crowds without detection as he peddles his statue shtick. His chromed-out nemesis arrives, instantly breaking the code of silence to harass him over a tiny, pathetic — and yet, highly coveted — chunk of street they each want to call their own.
The Safdies draw heavily from the observational, clandestine style that informed their early work, shooting handheld with digital cameras sporting long lenses so they can capture authentic reactions from the crowd. The filmmakers use only the available neon and ambient mixed light of Times Square to expose the image, further allowing their efforts to shoot invisibly. Their longtime co-writer, Ronald Bronstein, is even credited with running sound— no doubt a bid to keep the crew size down and within “the family”. The highwire act lies in the tension felt by the audience: will the crowd recognize Sandler, or can one of the most recognizable faces on the planet remain undetected in public? That Sandler would so gamely play with the Safdie boys like this, with virtually zero financial incentive, is proof positive of Sandler’s genuine love for his UNCUT GEMS directors.
Though released some time after UNCUT GEMS’ theatrical run, GOLDMAN V. SILVERMAN is clearly meant to live alongside it as some kind of off-kilter companion piece. Playful in nature (and a bit of a creative lark), the short continues the signature Safdie throughline of New York City’s absurd rat race, and the unique situations into which those on the margins find themselves in. Simply put, it’s vintage Safdie— and a heartening reminder that, despite their soaring professional profiles and escalating budgets, they fully intend on remaining true to their roots.
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER: LOST BUT NEVER ALONE (2020)
The Safdie brothers’ other 2020 effort would be a music video for Daniel Lopatin, their composer on GOOD TIME and UNCUT GEMS. A successful recording artist in his own right under the stage name Oneohtrix Point Never Lopatin would enlist his directors’ help for his single “Lost But Never Alone”, a throwback electronic pop track besieged and warped by the unique anxieties of our present. The resulting music video leans heavily into this atmosphere of poisoned nostalgia, answering a question we never knew we had: “what would it be like to have a bad trip while channel surfing late at night?”
Given a washed-out contrast that played like a degraded videotape broadcast too many times, the Safdies layer the unique artifacts and imperfections of the VHS format over a series of vignettes shot so as to resemble found footage— each with their own distinct aesthetic. In short order, we are subject to a strange brew of TV sitcoms, low-budget slasher movies, nature documentaries, and concert performance. As the piece goes on, the individual tone and visual grammar of each piece starts bleeding into the others. The sitcom becomes a combative family drama, for instance, and the slasher movie’s exterior backdrop starts to resemble the nature doc.
Though the piece doesn’t go out of its way to service the Safdies’ pet themes, its aesthetic flourishes are tangentially related. If anything, it speaks to the unexpected, unpredictable nature of their voice and their ability to simultaneously embrace and subvert the zeitgeist. The volatile nostalgia on display suggests the brothers’ desire to interrogate pop culture’s obsession with the visual language of bygone eras; indeed, it’s almost like the various vignettes realize they’re in the process of being co-opted for commercial purposes and subsequently set out on an audiovisual rebellion.
In the four years since the release of these two short works, the Safdies’ respective careers have shown no signs of slowing down— even as the singular collaborative focus that propelled their ascent has seemed to split and fray. They seem to be more active in the trades than on the set, with bold-faced headlines breathlessly announcing their attachment to any number of projects in development. Benny’s been keeping busy with high-profile acting jobs in feature films like LICORICE PIZZA (2021), OPPENHEIMER (2023) and the Showtime series THE CURSE (2023), while Josh was recently revealed to be working on a stand-up comedy special for Sandler. Another joint directorial effort seems a far-off prospect, if reports that the brothers have effectively ended their creative partnership are to be believed. Regardless of what comes next — from either Josh or Benny — we can rest assured that it’ll stay true to the artistic convictions that have fueled an uncompromising filmography. In just a few short years, the Safdies have come to dominate the conversation around independent American cinema. Their films may not be for everybody, but their continued relevance proves that there is still a significant appetite for idiosyncratic, unapologetic, and unsanitary storytelling.
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