What makes Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza’s on-screen partnership one of independent Hollywood’s most beloved | Hollywood

With the death of Jeff Baena on Friday, one of the most impressive partnerships in independent Hollywood is coming to an end. Jeff collaborated with his wife and actor Aubrey Plaza on most of his projects as they produced back-to-back critically acclaimed films. (Also read: When Aubrey Plaza said isolating with husband Jeff Baena during the pandemic ‘could have gone either way’)

Here is their joint filmography, which we recommend you watch:

Life after Beth

Jeff made his directorial debut with this 2014 zombie comedy. It starred Aubrey as Beth, a woman who dies from a poisonous snake bite only to return as a zombie. The script sat with Jeff for many years before Aubrey came across it and expressed interest in becoming the headliner. The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. This was also the time that Jeff and Aubrey started dating.

Joshi

In this 2016 drama, Aubrey played the supporting role of Jen. But the film, which follows a man who reconnects with his friends after his girlfriend’s suicide, also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It also stars Thomas Middleditch and Alison Brie.

Small watch

Allison Brie and Audrey star in Jeff’s 2017 medieval dark comedy. They, along with Kate Micucci, played three nuns who commit adultery with Dave Franco’s Massetto, a man posing as a deaf-mute after his master punishes him for cheating on his wife. This film also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Spin me around

Aubrey had a supporting role 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 swan song, which premiered at the South by Southwest festival.

Cinema toast

This anthology series turned out to be not only Jeff’s full-length debut, but also his last collaboration with Aubrey. Created by Jeff, Cinema Toast was Aubrey’s directorial debut. The two made the best of their shared isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic when they invited an eclectic group of acclaimed indie filmmakers to recut and re-sound footage from public domain films for the anthology. It premiered on Showtime in 2021.