Scottish film director and screenwriter.
Biography from TMDB.
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Director, editor and writer, also producer
- 4 on MovieCove · 7 credits in all
What are John McPhail's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 1
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
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 John McPhail's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for John McPhail's 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
7 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Grow(2025)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Dear David(2023)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Special Delivery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Anna and the Apocalypse(2017)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Broken Record (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Up There (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Career shape
A full career of 7 titles from 2012 to 2025.
How do John McPhail's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 39th percentile for acclaim.
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 4 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 52/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 4 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.
Who does John McPhail work with?
People who share at least 2 of John McPhail's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Naysun Alae-Carew shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Sarah SwireShared titles: Dear David (2023), Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sarah Swire
Editors
- David ArthurShared titles: Grow (2025), Dear David (2023)See all 2 shared titles with David Arthur
Producers
- Naysun Alae-CarewShared titles: Grow (2025), Dear David (2023), Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Naysun Alae-Carew
- Lauren LamarrShared titles: Dear David (2023), Anna and the Apocalypse (2017), Where Do We Go from Here? (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Lauren Lamarr
- Charlotte WalshShared titles: Dear David (2023), Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Charlotte Walsh