Jeremy Podeswa

The Fishers in Six Feet Under (2001) are often difficult company, but the comedy never makes their grief seem trivial. We were moved because the actors make that grief matter even when the family’s behaviour has worn us down. Podeswa is one of the programme’s directors, and its sharp ensemble acting fits the strength with actors that runs through his work. We value that contribution without mistaking an episode director for the sole author of a series.

Before television became his main occupation in 2001, he made his feature debut with Eclipse (1994) and followed it with The Five Senses (1999). The latter links Toronto stories through the senses, giving him several lives to hold together. Fugitive Pieces (2007) continued the feature work with a literary adaptation shaped by memory. In those last two films, his useful skill is making fragmented stories comprehensible without requiring the people to explain every feeling.

The connections in The Five Senses can nevertheless seem forced, as though the characters have been brought together to complete a pattern. In Fugitive Pieces, the concern is the polish brought to difficult historical material. His handling of time and restrained performances help, but the presentation can feel too conventional. We prefer him when he gives an actor room to suggest what a character cannot say.

Television suits a director willing to work within a programme’s existing look and tone. His episode work includes The Pacific (2010) and Game of Thrones in 2015, but the credit list matters less than his ability to keep a series recognisable without merely repeating it. Six Feet Under is the clearest recommendation we can make, for the ensemble’s sharpness and for comedy that takes grief seriously. Its brooding sometimes becomes an indulgence, a useful caveat for anyone drawn to Podeswa’s melancholy. Start there, but not when another evening of family brooding is the last thing you need.