Joel and Ethan Coen

Minnesota natives Joel (b. 1954) and Ethan (b. 1957) Coen seem to be one individual in two bodies, inseparable since childhood when they made their own Super 8 versions of their favorite TV shows. Joel studied film at New York University, and Ethan philosophy at Princeton. The former’s thesis is a film where a woman making love to her deaf partner shouts out her fantasies of sleeping with his best friend, who happens to be sitting in the other room. Ethan’s thesis is a work on Wittgenstein. Together, they have become some of the world’s leading filmmakers. The Coens like to keep it in the family: Joel’s wife, Frances McDormand, stars in their films, while Ethan’s wife, Tricia Cooke, is their editor. Neither brother likes to talk much, especially about their films.

Wybrana filmografia / Selected filmography:

1984 Śmiertelnie proste / Blood Simple

1996 Fargo

1998 Big Lebowski / The Big Lebowski

2001 Człowiek, którego nie było / The Man Who Wasn’t There

2007 To nie jest kraj dla starych ludzi / No Country For Old Men

2009 Poważny człowiek / A Serious Man