Author(s): Ian Nathan

Film & TV

Ethan Coen (b. 1957) and Joel Coen (b. 1954), known as the Coen brothers, are among the most creative of contemporary American directors. From their very first feature, Blood Simple (1984), to their most recent film, True Grit (2010), they have written, directed and produced their films jointly. Their style is unique, somewhere between film noir (Fargo, 1996; No Country for Old Men, 2007) and mordant comedy (The Big Lebowski, 1998; A Serious Man, 2009). No matter what genre they tackle, their films deal with recurrent themes: American ethnicity, religion and Judaism, brotherhood and the family unit. They have received numerous awards, including a Palme d'Or for Barton Fink (1991) and four Oscars - including best Picture - for No Country for Old Men (2007).