Informative Speech

Topic: Ben and Josh Safdie

Title: Brothers Bloom

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the life, the films, and the impact of the Safdie brothers,
who have increasingly risen to prominence in the filmmaking industry.

I. Introduction.
A. Show a clip from the film Good Time.
B. I chose Ben and Josh Safdie because, after seeing their 2017 film Good Time, I realized
these were extraordinarily talented filmmakers and sought out more of their work and
recently saw their latest release Uncut Gems.
C. Today I’m going to inform you about the Safdie brothers, their life growing up in New
York City, their interest and rise as filmmakers, and the impact their films have had,
including their two biggest film releases.

II. Life and Biography

A. Josh and Ben Safdie were born in New York City in 1984 and 1986 respectively.
1. They moved between Brooklyn and Queens growing up.
B. Their father is of Syrian Jewish ancestry and grew up in France and Italy and their
mother is of Russian Jewish ancestry.
1. They are related to playwright Oren Safdie and architect Moshe Safdie.
C. Their parents divorced when Ben was two and Josh was six months old.
1. They spent time moving back and forth between their parents and had a
dysfunctional relationship with their father.
a. Their father became the inspiration for a character in one of their films.
b. Their father, Alberto, was a film enthusiast who recorded them constantly but
also introduced them to a variety of films, which would later inspire their own
filmmaking.
D. They attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in Manhattan and both
attended Boston University.
1. At Boston University they founded a filmmaking group called Red Bucket Films with
other aspiring filmmakers.
2. Josh was originally a physics major before switching his career goals to filmmaking.
3. Josh graduated in 2007 and Ben in 2008.

III. Work
A. Their first film, completed and released in 2008, is called The Pleasure of Being Robbed.
1. The film revolves around a kleptomaniac woman living in New York City.
2. It was directed by Ben and co-stared Josh.
 3. It screened at both South-by-Southwest and the Cannes film festival.
B. The Safdie brothers then made three more films between 2009 and 2014.
1. Daddy Longlegs is about a divorced movie projectionist and his relationship with his
two sons.
a. The film is semi-autobiographical.
b. It was written, directed, and edited by both brothers and Josh Safide was the
cinematographer.
c. The film garnered numerous awards including an Independent Spirit Award.
2. Lenny Cooke is a documentary about a famed New York City streetcourt basketball
player.
a. Again, both brothers directed, edited, and worked on the cinematography.
b. The brothers are fanatical basketball fans.
c. The brothers spent three years working on the film and filming Cooke.
3. Heaven Knows What is a 2014 drama about a romance between two heroin addicts
in New York City.
1. Both brothers directed, and Josh Safide co-wrote the screenplay.
2. The film received multiple awards and garnered attention from the film
industry.
3. The brothers then received a message from actor Robert Pattinson.
C. Their major breakthrough is the 2017 film Good Time, starting Pattinson.
A. The film was directed by both brothers and co-written by Josh, who also co-stars in
the film.
B. The film revolves around two brothers, one of whom is sent to Rikers Island prison
and the other who spends the night attempting to raise his brother’s bail money.
C. The film was hailed for the performances of the actors, the soundtrack,
cinematography, editing, and breakneck pace of the plot.
1. Good Time also continued the Safdie brothers’ tradition of using non-actors in
major roles and shooting certain scenes without permission.
D. Good Time was nominated and won numerous awards including the highest award
at the Cannes Film Festival.
1. The New Yorker called the film “an instant crime classic”.
2. Pattinson was praised for giving “a commanding and desperate performance” by
The Hollywood Reporter.
E. The film raised the brothers’ profile in the industry higher and they received an
email of congratulations from Adam Sandler.
D. Their latest film is the 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems, starting Adam Sandler.
A. The film was co-written and directed by Ben and Josh and co-edited by Ben Safdie,
B. The film starts Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a New York City jewelry store
owner who owes $100,000 in gambling debts.
1. Ratner loans a valuable diamond to NBA star Kevin Garnet, setting off a string of
events that Ratner tries to stay one step ahead of.
2. At the same time Ratner tries to repair multiple personal relationships.
C. The Safdie’s originally conceived of the idea for the film in 2009 with Sandler in
mind for the role but had neither the resources or the clout to get the film made.
 D. The film has received near-universal critical praise.
1. The Safdie brothers won best director at the Independent Spirit Awards and the
New York Critics Film Circle Awards.
2. Sandler has won best actor at the Independent Spirit Awards and the National
Board of Review.

IV. Impact
A. The Safdie brothers have helped resurrect freewheeling, urban storytelling that has
faded over the decades in American filmmaking.
1. Their films tend to show the underside of New York City that is often ignored or
glossed over in more mainstream films.
B. Their main characters are often morally ambiguous and upend viewer expectation.
C. Their films also have included guerilla filmmaking, use of non-actors, and working with
lower budgets in an era of mega-budget sequels.
D. Their work tends to use vibrant colors, seedy locations, fast and jerky editing, and
pulsing soundtracks to add to the atmosphere of their story.
E. Their next film was to be a remake of 48 Hours, but in an interview mentioned their
screenplay has been changed to “something more original”.

V. Conclusion
A. In summary today I’ve informed you about Ben and Josh Safdie, two brothers who have
spent a decade making films on their own terms and gaining traction in the American
film industry.
B. On making a movie about a gambler, Ben Safdie remarked, “We were always going to
make a movie like that. We’ve been doing it our entire lives”.

Works Cited

Porreca, Brian (May 25, 2017). "Cannes: 'Good Time' Starring Robert Pattinson Gets
Overwhelming Standing Ovation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 28, 2019.

Sanneh, Kelefa (December 16, 2019). "The Safdie Brothers' Full-Immersion Filmmaking". The
New Yorker. Retrieved December 21, 2019.

Brown, Joel (June 12, 2015). "Safdie Brothers' Film Captures Life on the Street". Bostonia.
Retrieved December 21, 2019.
Hoby, Hermione (November 16, 2017). "Good Time directors the Safdie brothers: 'Robert
Pattinson was just a guy chasing work'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 28, 2019.