
Buddy Duress
Acting
Biography
Michael Constantine Stathis (May 21, 1985 – November 2023), known by his screen name Buddy Duress, was an American actor best known for his roles in the Safdie brothers films Heaven Knows What (2014) and Good Time (2017).
Known For

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.
Good Time

A teenage cartoonist rejects the comforts of his suburban life in a misguided quest for soul.
Funny Pages

A young Hitman--who lives with his mother--develops feelings for the witness of a murder he committed.
Flinch

Jack is an internet gambler living in NYC. After the death of his roommate, he becomes fixated on Scarlet - a cam girl from San Francisco. His obsession reaches a boiling point when fantasy materializes in reality and Jack sees Scarlet on a rainy NYC Chinatown street.
PVT Chat

1950s America. Since his mother‘s confinement to an institution, Andy has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance, Dr. Wallace Fiennes, employs the introverted young man as a photographer to document an asylum tour advocating for his increasingly controversial lobotomy procedure.
The Mountain

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.
Heaven Knows What

Follows a variety of New York characters as they navigate personal relationships and unexpected problems over the course of one day.
Person to Person

Alienated in politically-ambiguous Moscow, young woman deals with severe OCD, while her cousin in Berlin tries to build a romantic relationship ignoring her own condition. In a parallel New York City realm, a heartbroken boxer struggles with addiction, self worth and online anxiety, which connects all the heroes from a universal level.
Beware of Dog

While a world war rages, Philippe, a draft-dodger from Quebec, takes refuge in the American West, surviving by competing in Charlie Chaplin impersonation contests. As Philippe makes his long journey home, he encounters various characters under the sway of a destructive madness borne of the chaotic times. His voyage, both violent and fascinating, is a hallucinatory initiation to the darker side of the American dream.
The Great Darkened Days

Get to know the siblings whose films have captured the skittering pulse of New York’s city streets. An original documentary featuring footage from the making of their new thriller, Good Time, along with several of the brothers’ early features and shorts. Produced by the Criterion Channel for their "Meet the Filmmakers" series.
Meet the Filmmakers: Josh and Benny Safdie

Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, this punchy short features James Toback recounting a bizarre, years-long rivalry sparked by a drunken argument with Norman Mailer over bourbon versus Scotch—an ego duel that escalates from boozy barbs to a tense Jets–Browns stare-down and a few jabs to the gut. A brisk, first-person tale of bravado, celebrity circles, and the fine line between literary legend and street-corner scuffle.
Toback Vs. Mailer: The Incident

A comic and melancholic take on the struggling artist, shot on 35mm.
Victor in Paradise
After achieving a major professional goal, an artist begins to unravel.
Skull

Four seedy stories transpire over the course of one late-night order at a 24-hour deli in Koch-era NYC.
86'd

The story behind the acclaimed film, "Heaven Knows What," directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, and inspired by the life of Arielle Holmes.
A Hot Two Weeks: The Making of Heaven Knows What

A failed private investigator investigates a series of disappearances, and in order to get his way he's even willing to manipulate a grieving mother.