# Jeff Baena
**Jeff Baena** (full name Jeffrey Lance Baena) was an American screenwriter and film director known for darkly comedic independent films. He co-wrote [David O. Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-o-russell)'s 2004 comedy *I Heart Huckabees* and then wrote and directed five features of his own, four of which premiered at the [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival). He was married to the actress [Aubrey Plaza](https://www.edgepedia.org/aubrey-plaza), his frequent creative collaborator, and died at his Los Angeles home on January 3, 2025, at the age of 47; the Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born 1977 in Miami, Florida; died January 3, 2025, in Los Angeles, aged 47; cause ruled suicide[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) |
| First produced screenplay | *I Heart Huckabees* (2004), co-written with David O. Russell[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) |
| Directed features | *Life After Beth* (2014), *Joshy* (2016), *The Little Hours* (2017), *Horse Girl* (2020), *Spin Me Round* (2022)[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead) |
| Festival record | Four of his five films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) |
| Television | Created the Showtime anthology series *Cinema Toast* (2021)[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead) |
| Marriage | Married Aubrey Plaza in 2021; she appeared in four of his five films[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) |
| Education | Studied film production at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts[3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf) |
## Early life and education
He grew up in Miami and studied film production at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf) He told the podcaster [Marc Maron](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-maron) in a 2017 interview that his interest in cinema began in childhood after watching [Stanley Kubrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kubrick)'s *A Clockwork Orange* and [Federico Fellini](https://www.edgepedia.org/federico-fellini)'s *8 1/2*.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c)
After film school he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a production assistant on [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis) films before working with David O. Russell.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead)
## Screenwriting: I Heart Huckabees
Baena's first produced screenplay was *I Heart Huckabees*, a 2004 existential comedy co-written with Russell and starring [Dustin Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-hoffman), Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, and [Mark Wahlberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-wahlberg).[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead) The film drew a devoted following for its mix of black comedy with existential and Buddhist philosophizing.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/01/04/jeff-baena-filmmaker-aubrey-plaza-dead-died/)
A decade passed before another Baena script reached the screen. During those years he accumulated unproduced screenplays and rewrites, including a reported 2011 rewrite of the *Revenge of the Nerds*-inspired project *Revenge of the Jocks*.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeff_baena)
## Directing career
**Life After Beth (2014).** Baena's directorial debut was a zombie comedy starring Plaza, his girlfriend at the time, alongside [Dane DeHaan](https://www.edgepedia.org/dane-dehaan) and [John C. Reilly](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-c-reilly); it premiered in Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and secured distribution from A24.[3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/jeff-baena-dead-aubrey-plaza-husband/) The film cost about 2.4 million dollars and recouped roughly a tenth of that at the worldwide box office, but it began his working partnership with Plaza.[7](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-01-04/hallado-muerto-jeff-baena-guionista-y-marido-de-aubrey-plaza.html)
**Joshy (2016).** His second feature, also in Sundance's Dramatic Competition, starred [Thomas Middleditch](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-middleditch) as a man gathering with friends months after his fiancée's suicide.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) • [3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf) Baena described the film as largely improvised, and it was [Alison Brie](https://www.edgepedia.org/alison-brie)'s first appearance in one of his films.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/maintaining-reality-jeff-baena-on-joshy)
**The Little Hours (2017).** A convent comedy loosely based on stories from Boccaccio's 14th-century *Decameron*, shot in sun-washed Tuscany with Plaza, Brie, Kate Micucci, Dave Franco, Reilly, and [Molly Shannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-shannon).[9](https://time.com/4838703/the-little-hours-review/)
**Horse Girl (2020).** A Netflix psychological drama co-written with Brie, who also starred; Baena said almost everything was improvised except the fictional TV show within the film, *Purgatory*.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/horse-girl-alison-brie-script-improvised-film-video/)
**Spin Me Round (2022).** His final film, a comedy co-written with Brie and filmed on location in Italy, with Plaza in the cast.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead) • [11](https://www.avclub.com/jeff-baena-spin-me-round-movie-interview-1849431821)
On television, Baena created the anthology series *Cinema Toast* (2021) for Showtime, which reworked imagery from old films and featured Brie, Christina Ricci, and [Chloe Fineman](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-fineman).[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead)
## Style and collaborators
Critics grouped his pictures as a distinctive kind of hangout movie: *Joshy* follows friends after a suicide, *The Little Hours* follows nuns in the Middle Ages, and *Horse Girl* follows its protagonist through her daily routines as her sense of reality frays.[12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/horse-girl-movie-review-2020) He worked repeatedly with a repertory of actors including Plaza, Brie, Reilly, Molly Shannon, and Fred Armisen, and with producer Liz Destro.[11](https://www.avclub.com/jeff-baena-spin-me-round-movie-interview-1849431821) • [3](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf)
On Rotten Tomatoes, *Joshy* holds his highest critics' score at 84%, followed by *The Little Hours* at 78%, *Horse Girl* at 72%, *I Heart Huckabees* at 63%, *Spin Me Round* at 47%, and *Life After Beth* at 46%.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeff_baena)
## Relationship with Aubrey Plaza
Baena and Plaza began dating around 2011, and she starred in his 2014 directorial debut after they had been together about three years.[7](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-01-04/hallado-muerto-jeff-baena-guionista-y-marido-de-aubrey-plaza.html) • [1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) They married in 2021, coinciding with their tenth anniversary, in a same-day ceremony at their home.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) • [13](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-03-19/jeff-baena-y-aubrey-plaza-llevaban-cuatro-meses-separados-antes-de-la-muerte-del-guionista.html) Plaza appeared in four of his five films and voiced a role in *Cinema Toast*; Baena called working with her "amazing" and said the chance to create together was rare.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c)
## Death
Baena was found dead on the morning of January 3, 2025, at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, which ruled the death a suicide.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c) According to a spokesperson for Plaza, those he left behind included his mother, Barbara Stern; his stepfather, Roger Stern; his father, Scott Baena; his stepmother, Michele Baena; his brother, Brad Baena; and his stepsiblings, Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.[1](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c)
## References
1. [Indie filmmaker Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza's husband, found dead at Los Angeles home, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/d626ce1923a9802ba0eb2b951fa45c3c)
2. [Jeff Baena, indie filmmaker and husband of Aubrey Plaza, dies at 47, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-01-04/jeff-baena-indie-filmmaker-dead)
3. [About the Filmmakers: Jeff Baena, The Little Hours press kit](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/media%2Fpublicwebassets%2Flittlehourspresskit_%7B45159082-6b39-41b8-82d3-3d52709a84a3%7D.pdf)
4. [Jeff Baena, darkly comic writer and director, dies at 47, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/01/04/jeff-baena-filmmaker-aubrey-plaza-dead-died/)
5. [Jeff Baena Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeff_baena)
6. [Jeff Baena, Indie Filmmaker and Aubrey Plaza's Husband, Dies at 47, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/jeff-baena-dead-aubrey-plaza-husband/)
7. [Hallado muerto Jeff Baena, guionista y marido de Aubrey Plaza, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-01-04/hallado-muerto-jeff-baena-guionista-y-marido-de-aubrey-plaza.html)
8. [Maintaining Reality: Jeff Baena on "Joshy", RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/maintaining-reality-jeff-baena-on-joshy)
9. [Medieval Laughs for the Modern Day, Time](https://time.com/4838703/the-little-hours-review/)
10. ['Horse Girl' Star, Co-Writer Alison Brie on Writing an 'Almost' Completely Improvised Film, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/horse-girl-alison-brie-script-improvised-film-video/)
11. [Spin Me Round writer-director Jeff Baena on falling in love with his actors, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/jeff-baena-spin-me-round-movie-interview-1849431821)
12. [Horse Girl movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/horse-girl-movie-review-2020)
13. [Jeff Baena y Aubrey Plaza llevaban cuatro meses separados antes de la muerte del guionista, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-03-19/jeff-baena-y-aubrey-plaza-llevaban-cuatro-meses-separados-antes-de-la-muerte-del-guionista.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license