[1] Durkin is known for directing the critically acclaimed independent films Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Nest (2020), and The Iron Claw (2023).

My exploration of those things is to try and wrap my head around them and confront them.”[4] Durkin is a founding member of Borderline Films with fellow directors Antonio Campos and Josh Mond.

[7] Durkin adapted the short into his first feature length film, the psychological-thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) which was starred Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, and Sarah Paulson.

The film revolves around a woman suffering from paranoia after returning to her family from an abusive cult in the Catskill Mountains.

Durkin then directed his third film the A24 drama The Iron Claw (2023), starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Lily James.