Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978; Little Rock) is an American filmmaker, writer and producer. His films are characterized by their Southern United States backdrop and ambience. He is also known for his longstanding collaboration with actor Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all of his feature films to date. After studying filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Nichols moved into the independent filmmaking scene with Shotgun Stories (2007). He went on to direct the critically acclaimed films Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), Midnight Special (2016), and Loving (also 2016).
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 7, 1978 (47)
- Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Director, writer and producer
- 13 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Jeff Nichols' films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 9
Light 0 · Serious 3 · Dark 6
Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 4
Steady 1 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 8
A split, not a type: Resolved 2 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 4
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jeff Nichols' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jeff Nichols' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.
Love Letter to Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Train Dreams(2025)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Eric LaRue(2023)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
A Texas Mermaid Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
The Bikeriders(2023)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all filmsMartin Scorsese Presents Jeff Nichols (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Konbini Vidéo Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Loving(2016)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
In the Radiant City(2016)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Midnight Special(2016)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Hellion(2014)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Computer Chess(2013)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Mud(2012)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Take Shelter(2011)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Shotgun Stories(2007)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Come Early Morning(2006)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Be Here to Love Me(2004)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all filmsNoble Chrome Pirates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Alien Nation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
King Snake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Stella Maris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Passenger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Yankee Comandante (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles, 18 of them dated from 2001 to 2026.
Biggest box office
The Bikeriders (2023)
Highest rated
Mud (2012)
Most popular right now
The Bikeriders (2023)
Film career
- 2006Screen debut· Come Early Morning
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Jeff Nichols' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Jeff Nichols' work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Jeff Nichols work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jeff Nichols' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Shannon shares the most, 7.
Actors
- Michael ShannonShared titles: Eric LaRue (2023), The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Midnight Special (2016), Mud (2012), Take Shelter (2011), Shotgun Stories (2007)See all 7 shared titles with Michael Shannon
- Paul SparksShared titles: Eric LaRue (2023), In the Radiant City (2016), Midnight Special (2016), Mud (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Paul Sparks
- David JensenShared titles: Loving (2016), Midnight Special (2016)See all 2 shared titles with David Jensen
- Joel EdgertonShared titles: Loving (2016), Midnight Special (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Joel Edgerton
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Adam StoneShared titles: The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Mud (2012), Take Shelter (2011), Shotgun Stories (2007)See all 5 shared titles with Adam Stone
- David WingoShared titles: The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Mud (2012), Take Shelter (2011)See all 4 shared titles with David Wingo
- Julie MonroeShared titles: The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Mud (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Julie Monroe
Producers
- Sarah GreenShared titles: Eric LaRue (2023), The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Midnight Special (2016), Hellion (2014), Mud (2012), Take Shelter (2011)See all 7 shared titles with Sarah Green
- Brian Kavanaugh-JonesShared titles: The Bikeriders (2023), Loving (2016), Midnight Special (2016), Take Shelter (2011)See all 4 shared titles with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
- Sophia LinShared titles: The Bikeriders (2023), Take Shelter (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Sophia Lin
- Will GreenfieldShared titles: Eric LaRue (2023), Loving (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Will Greenfield