Known for Writing
Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, In the Company of Men (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the New York Film Critics Circle. LaBute created the TV series Billy & Billie, writing and directing all of the episodes. He is also the creator of the TV series Van Helsing. Critics have responded to his plays as having a misanthropic tone. Rob Weinert-Kendt in The Village Voice referred to LaBute as "American theater's reigning misanthrope". The New York Times said that critics labeled him a misanthrope on the release of his film Your Friends & Neighbors because of the film's strong misanthropic plot and characters. Britain's Independent newspaper in May 2008 dubbed him "America's misanthrope par excellence". Citing the misanthropic tone of the plot in the films In the Company of Men, Your Friends & Neighbors and The Shape of Things, film critic Daniel Kimmel identified a pattern running through LaBute's work of being that the unlikeable, main antagonists of those three films end up getting away with their lying, scheming and mis-deeds, coming out on top of all the other characters as the real winners of those stories by quoting: "Neil LaBute is a misanthrope who assumes that only callous and evil people, who use and abuse others, can survive in this world."
Born
March 19, 1963 (age 63)
Birthplace
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Filmography
70 films, 10 shows


Murderous
2026 · 1h 47m
country: Unknown
An ambitious screenwriter in the midst of a creative crisis receives an unexpected visit from a former college classmate, who confronts her with accusations of plagiarism.


Fear the Night
2023 · 1h 32m
country: United States
During a bachelorette party in a secluded California farmhouse, masked intruders launch a brutal attack, forcing eight women to fight for survival. Led by Tess, a troubled military veteran, they unite to defend themselves throughout a harrowing night.


House of Darkness
2022 · 1h 28m
country: United States
Driving home to her secluded estate after meeting at a local bar, a player out to score thinks his beautiful, mysterious date will be another casual hook-up. While getting acquainted, their flirtation turns playful, sexy and sinister. Hoping to get lucky, his luck may have just run out.


Out of the Blue
2022 · 1h 45m
country: United States
After spending time in prison following an assault charge, Connor Bates now works in a library and spends his free time running, swimming, and trying to piece his world back together. When he meets Marilyn Chambers, the wife of a wealthy businessman, they collide into an intense physical and emotional relationship that quickly escalates into idle talk about her husband’s murder.


Black Chicks
2017 · 13m
country: Unknown
Two coworkers—a white man and a Black woman—meet at a coffee shop over lunch. When she asks him out and he declines, she discovers why he said no.


10 K
2017 · 19m
country: Unknown
A man and a woman meet on a wooded path, making polite conversation and slowly opening up to each other. Was this an accident or something planned?


The Mulberry Bush
2016 · 17m
country: Unknown
Two men sit next to each other on an autumn day in Central Park. They make small talk about the weather and the joys of summer. When the conversation turns personal, however, it becomes clear that this is no random encounter...


Dirty Weekend
2015 · 1h 33m
country: United States
During a layover in Albuquerque, work colleagues Les and Natalie discover more about each other than they ever thought possible. Anxious and irritable, Les is drawn back into the city by past experiences he can’t forget (even if he doesn't really remember the particulars of his previous drunken adventure). Natalie, refusing to leave his side, follows along as her own secrets are slowly revealed, leaving her feeling both vulnerable and unbound.


Some Velvet Morning
2013 · 1h 24m
country: United States
Fred arrives at the doorstep of his beautiful young mistress Velvet after four years apart, claiming to have finally left his wife. But when she rejects his attempts to rekindle their romance, his persistence evolves into obsession — and a dark history between the former lovers comes into focus.


Stars in Shorts
2012 · 1h 47m
country: Unknown
Seven short films, all of which feature name actors, including Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Lily Tomlin, Keira Knightley, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and more.


BFF
2012 · 8m
country: United States
Two best friends meet to discuss love and loss over a cup of tea. Things do not go as planned.


Sexting
2010 · 8m
country: United States
Fed up with her relationship with a married man, a young woman decides to meet his wife for coffee.


Death at a Funeral
2010 · 1h 32m
country: United States
Aaron's father's funeral is today at the family home, and everything goes wrong: the funeral home delivers the wrong body, his cousin accidentally drugs her fiancé, and Aaron's successful younger brother, Ryan, flies in from New York, broke but arrogant. To top it all off, a mysterious stranger wants a word with Aaron.


Heavy Rain
2010 · 8m
country: Unknown
A powerful short documentary inspired by the launch of the genre breaking PlayStation 3 title HEAVY RAIN. Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Neil LaBute, the seven minute short was filmed in London, LA & Paris and asks leading luminaries, 'How far would you go to save someone you love?'


Lakeview Terrace
2008 · 1h 50m
country: United States
A young interracial couple has just moved into their California dream home when they become the target of their next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their relationship. A tightly wound LAPD officer has appointed himself the watchdog of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some, but he becomes increasingly aggressive to the newlyweds. These persistent intrusions into their lives cause the couple to fight back.


Tumble
2007 · 4m
country: Unknown
A man encounters a woman he knew.


The Wicker Man
2006 · 1h 42m
country: United States
A sheriff investigating the disappearance of a young girl from a small island discovers there's a larger mystery to solve among the island's secretive, neo-pagan community.


The Shape of Things
2003 · 1h 36m
country: France
Quiet, unassuming Adam is changing in a major way, thanks to his new girlfriend, art student Evelyn. Adam's friends are a little freaked by the transformation.


Possession
2002 · 1h 42m
country: United Kingdom
Maud Bailey, a brilliant English academic, is researching the life and work of poet Christabel La Motte. Roland Michell is an American scholar in London to study Randolph Henry Ash, now best-known for a collection of poems dedicated to his wife. When Maud and Roland discover a cache of love letters that appear to be from Ash to La Motte, they follow a trail of clues across England, echoing the journey of the couple over a century earlier.


Bash: Latter-Day Plays
2001 · 1h 40m
country: Unknown
The movie comprises three vignettes of actors-speaking-to-audience, two of which are monologues. All three revolve around violence or murder.


Nurse Betty
2000 · 1h 48m
country: Germany
What happens when a person decides that life is merely a state of mind? If you're Betty, a small-town waitress and soap opera fan from Fair Oaks, Kansas, you refuse to believe that you can't be with the love of your life just because he doesn't really exist. After all, life is no excuse for not living. Traumatized by a savage event, Betty enters into a fugue state that allows -- even encourages -- her to keep functioning... in a kind of alternate reality.


Your Friends & Neighbors
1998 · 1h 47m
country: United States
Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen businessman married to Mary, a writer who is unsatisfied with their relationship. Mary begins an affair with Jerry, a smug theater professor and husband of her friend, Terri, who is also a writer. Adding to the adulterous mix are Cary, a callous doctor, and Cheri, an art-gallery assistant.


In the Company of Men
1997 · 1h 37m
country: Canada
Two business executives--one an avowed misogynist, the other recently emotionally wounded by his love interest--set out to exact revenge on the female gender by seeking out the most innocent, uncorrupted girl they can find and ruining her life.