4. Thomas McCarthy
Key Films: The Station Agent, The Visitor, Win Win Known as an actor early in his career, Thomas McCarthy has made a successful career for himself as a writer-director. His three films, although relatively small in scale, are humanistic pieces about people who find an alternative family for themselves. He finds pleasure in stories of lonely outcasts who are able to construct a makeshift family which could b just as strong as a real, biological family. Even a film that he helped co-write, Up, follows this basic theme. Through these families, he is able to effectively balance sadness with comedy that could be interpreted dismissively as quirkedies. The Station Agent, his debut feature is a fable of sorts in how different people can affect people. It follows a dwarf, an artist and hot dog salesman who all need each other to survive the world. In this story, there is an overwhelming charm and warmth with how intimate we get with these characters. And that is another powerful connection between all his films. McCarthy as a screenwriter and filmmaker is able to create an intimate relationship between the audiences and the characters onscreen. There is a genuine feeling and empathy for what happens to the characters onscreen. My favorite film of his, The Visitor, is the best example of this empathy. He introduces a character, played by Richard Jenkins, who is lost in life and sort of unlikable. But, that makes his arc even more powerful as he finds meaning through acts of kindness and it took a half hour of creating an unlikable character in order to create a character that we genuinely care for. Thomas McCarthy is all that is right with indie films and if he ever gets a chance to create a studio film, I would not doubt his ability to create a great film.