What makes Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza's onscreen partnership one of the most cherished in indie Hollywood
Indie filmmaker Jeff Baena was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Friday. He was married to actor Aubrey Plaza, who has starred in most of his films.
With Jeff Baena's death on Friday, one of indie Hollywood's most formidable partnerships comes to an end. Jeff had collaborated with wife and actor Aubrey Plaza in most of his projects, as the two delivered critically acclaimed movies one after another. (Also Read: When Aubrey Plaza said isolating with husband Jeff Baena in pandemic ‘could have gone either way’)
Here's their combined filmography that we recommend you must catch up on:
Life After Beth
Jeff made his directorial debut with this 2014 zombie comedy. It starred Aubrey as the titular Beth, a woman who dies of a venomous snake bite, only to return as a zombie. Jeff had the script lying with him for years, before Aubrey came across it and showed interest in headlining it. The film premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival. It was also the time when Jeff and Aubrey began dating.
Joshy
In this 2016 dramedy, Aubrey played the minor role of Jen. But the film, revolving around a man reconnecting with his friends after his girlfriend's death by suicide, premiered at theSundance Film Festival as well. It also starred Thomas Middleditch and Alison Brie.
The Little Hours
Allison Brie and Audrey starred in Jeff's 2017 medieval black comedy. They, along with Kate Micucci, played three nuns who fornicate with Dave Franco's Massetto, a man posing as deaf and mute after being punished by his lord for cheating on his wife. This one also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Spin Me Round
Aubrey played a supporting part in Jeff's 2022 dark comedy, headlined by Alison, who also co-wrote the film with the director. It turned out to be Jeff's swansong directorial, and premiered at the South by Southwest Festival.
Cinema Toast
This anthology series turned out to be not only Jeff's long-format debut but also his final collaboration with Aubrey. Created by Jeff, Cinema Toast marked Aubrey's directorial debut. The two made the best use of isolating together during the Covid-19 pandemic when they got an eclectic group of celebrated indie filmmakers to re-edit and re-score footage from public domain films for an anthology. It premiered on Showtime in 2021.