David Lowery (born December 26, 1980) is an American filmmaker based in Dallas, Texas.
A director who runs the roulette from big-budget films to small-scale indie films, Lowery's works are best known for their exploration of themes that pertain to humanity and connection. As such, some compare his body of work to that of Terrence Malick.
Not to be confused with the frontman for Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker.
Filmography
- Aint Them Bodies Saints (2013)
- Pete's Dragon (2016)
- A Ghost Story (2017)
- The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
- The Green Knight (2021)
- Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
Tropes associated with David Lowery and his work:
- Central Theme: Exploring the essence of humanity and human connection.
- Ain't Them Bodies Saints is about family commitment.
- Pete's Dragon is about family love.
- A Ghost Story is about human existence.
- The Old Man & the Gun is about age and regret.
- The Green Knight is about human morality, legacy, and the inevitability of death.
- Genre Roulette: From crime dramas (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) to heartfelt family films (Pete's Dragon and Peter & Wendy) to a existential ghost film (A Ghost Story) to even comedy thrillers (The Old Man & a Gun) and a medieval fantasy epic (The Green Knight), he seems like a guy who like to do a variety of genres.
- Green Aesop: Common in his works. Pete's Dragon is part of the "kids save a forest from loggers" tradition, while The Green Knight ties the titular night to nature and relates Gawain's quest to the relationship between humans and nature.
- Production Posse: Has worked with Casey Affleck on three films, Rooney Mara on two and Robert Redford on two.
- Shades of Conflict: Morality seems to be quite a thing in his movies.
- A Ghost Story: No Antagonist
- Pete's Dragon: Good Versus Good. Pete's adopted family is a normal loving family. The main antagonist of the film is a guy out to fame and fortune but still loves his family and is quite protective of children.
- The Old Man & the Gun: White-and-Grey Morality. John Hunt is a cop justifiably pursuing a multiple bank robber who's escaped from prison 18 times, but the title character is as charming, friendly, and good-natured as a bank robber can possibly be, and goes out of his way to make sure nobody gets hurt during his robberies.
- The Green Knight: Morality Kitchen Sink. Gawain is portrayed here as a Dirty Coward Nominal Hero who only barely overcomes his flaws. Morgana and the titular Knight have ambiguous motivations but seem to have some morals to them. King Arthur and Guinevere are genuinely honorable, unlike their nephew the protagonist. Finally, genuine evil can be seen in the cruel bandits that attack Gawain and the Lord and Lady who sexually assault Gawain when he stays with them.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Differentiates but movies like his 2016 remake of Pete's Dragon are on the idealistic side. His other films are closer to the middle.
- Sliding Scale Of Silliness Vs Seriousness: His works are definitely more on the human drama side.
- A good example is his Pete's Dragon remake. The original film was very light and corny while his remake prefers to take a more serious and dramatic direction.
