A24 DEEP DIVE & TOP FIVE
A deep-dive into A24, the notorious and game-changing film producer, plus my top 5 of their movies. Also, a weekend streaming recommendation.
In honor of this being post #30 (!!!!), I’m going to be taking a week off as a short break — see you all in September! Thanks as always for supporting.
A24
A24, the film and television production and distribution company, has been responsible for some of my favorite movies across the 2010s and 20s. You may have heard of the ‘A24 movie’ archetype – an indie, arthouse, mind-bending movie that will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. AKA exactly the kind of movie we love at the Kino.
While A24 doesn’t make their content themselves, they finance its production and distribute the final products. However, A24 is known to be extremely specific about what they choose to produce.
There are critiques of A24 from both ends. The cinephile crowd likes to call out A24 movies as ‘fake-indie’, more commercially driven than actual avant-garde work. Conversely, average blockbuster-goers point to them as pretentious and sensationalist.
My take is that the studio has done invaluable work in exposing most moviegoers to experimental movies and TV that they otherwise never would have seen. In a time when popular tastes are boiling down to the same handful of studios and franchises, it is critical that companies like A24 support films that push the envelope. That’s certainly what they did for me.
The success of A24 has also inspired the rise of other similar production houses, such as NEON (Pig, Spencer, Titane).
Chances are you have seen one of A24’s 60+ films. You’ve definitely heard of at least one of them (especially if you follow this newsletter). And if you’re completely in the dark on the movies, you may have seen a ‘lil TV show called EUPHORIA, another A24 production.
Regardless, below are my top 5 A24 movies (with the caveat that there are a bunch I haven’t seen).
Top Remaining Watchlist:
(Full transparency) — these are the many I haven’t seen yet:
First Reformed; Minari; The Last Black Man in San Francisco; C’mon C’mon; The Florida Project
Honorable Mentions:
Moonlight, Ex Machina, Uncut Gems, The Farewell, The Tragedy of Macbeth
5: LADY BIRD (2017) Dir. Greta Gerwig
My favorite coming-of-age story, Lady Bird tells the story of Lady Bird, a teenage girl in Sacramento navigating the trials and tribulations of her life during her senior year. A phenomenal slice-of-life movie and case study into a fascinating (yet somehow relatable) character. Watch this movie particularly for the dialogue, especially between Lady Bird and her mother. Available on Netflix.
4: THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021) Dir. David Lowery
This was my second favorite movie of 2021 (you can see my list and review here). The Green Knight is David Lowery’s fantastical retelling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. When I think back on this movie, I remember three things. 1) How grand in scope it is. 2) How long it lingered on my mind. 3) ~The rag~. Check it out!
3: GOOD TIME (2017) Dir. Safdie Brothers
After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother out of jail. A lot of people consider Uncut Gems as one of A24’s best, but GOOD TIME (the same directors) does everything in Uncut Gems except even better. Higher stakes. More raw. Grittier themes and setting. And a performance by Robert Pattinson that you will never forget. Available on Netflix.
2: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022) Dir. Daniels
You can see my full review here — there’s not much more I have to say. Only that this movie just broke $100M at the Box Office, making it A24’s highest grossing movie. And for good reason — the hype is real. Still in Theaters!
1: THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019) Dir. Robert Eggers
I can’t believe I’ve never written about this movie here — it’s one of my favorites of all time. The Lighthouse depicts two lighthouse keepers who try to maintain their sanity while living on a horrifying and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. I’ll write a full review of this one day, because I could talk about it forever. For now, this is exactly what A24 is all about. Art that is mind-blowingly weird yet a perfect gateway into a whole new world of film. Available on Amazon Prime.
Weekend Streaming Recommendation
HBO MAX A24 CATALOG (Available on HBO Max)
As of August 1st, 28 new A24 movies are on HBO MAX!!!! Today’s Weekend Streaming Recommendation is any of those, with particular emphasis towards the following:
Ex Machina (2015): A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
Enemy (2013): A man (Jake Gyllenhall) seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.
Locke (2013): Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his carefully cultivated existence.
Room (2015): Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.
See you all again next week. Until then, please get in touch if you have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share. If you want to keep up with what I’m watching, follow me on Letterboxd @atharv_gupta.
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