Independent film studio A24 is known for making eclectic, innovative movies. They focus on stories with distinctive and thought-provoking themes. Since its inception in 2012, A24 has 124 films in completed production status and 30 television shows. They have irrevocably changed the independent film industry for the better, as they have brought more attention to indie filmmaking to wider audiences. A24 has produced award-winning films and television shows, yet they still continue to create media that feels authentic to what the studio is at its core; a place for independent artists to make the stories that matter to them.
Since A24 has released numerous films over the last decade, they have become known for their horror films. Horror films under the A24 banner are distinctive from other horror films and push the boundaries of the genre. While A24 does make incredible, elevated horror films, they also produce phenomenal non-horror films as well. Films that depict an introspective look into average life or comedies that are both intelligent and funny. They have also made some of the most interesting science fiction films of the last decade. Without further ado, here are the top 15 non-horror A24 films:
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15 Moonlight (2016)
A24
While the drama of the 2017 Oscars ceremony is inextricably linked to the film, Moonlight is a beautiful film. The film follows the life of a young man struggling to find himself across three defining parts of his life. We meet him as a young child, follow him through his awkward teenage years, and leave him as a full-grown adult. Growing up with an addict mother, losing his only father figure in his teens, and still struggling with his sexuality as an adult, his story is heartbreaking. It’s also very tender and heartfelt, despite the tragedy he has had to endure in his life. It is a unique, beautifully crafted coming-of-age story.
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14 Room (2015)
Brie Larson gives an incredible performance in Room as a young mother who has been held captive in an enclosed room for seven years with her son. When they finally escape what they have named “Room”, the boy does not know how to handle being in the outside world for the first time in his young life. Both of them don’t know how to act now that they’re in the real world because she hasn’t been a part of society in seven years, and he has never been part of it. It is a realistic depiction of how human beings cope with trauma and the haunting memories of the past.
13 20th Century Women (2016)
20th Century Women tells the story of a single mother, her teenage son, and two other women in their lives who help raise him in free-spirited Southern California in 1979. This is a slower coming-of-age story that takes a more realistic approach to what being a teenager is really like. Many teen movies portray wild parties and crazy late-night shenanigans, and while that does happen in real life, the majority of your time as a teenager is spent worrying about fitting in with the other kids or how to get your crush to notice you. 20th Century Women does a great job of showing that while also showing you what it’s like to raise a teen from a parent’s perspective.
12 The Farewell (2019)
A Chinese-American woman living in New York City travels back to China with her entire family to visit their ailing grandmother, so they can make her remaining time with them the best she’s ever had in The Farewell. The family decides not to tell the grandmother about her terminal illness so that she can spend the last days of her life without worry, so they orchestrate a fake wedding as a reason for getting the whole family together again. While the premise does sound like the film might be sad, it is actually incredibly sweet and charming.
11 After Yang (2021)
ShowtimeA24
Set in the near future, a small family deals with questions of love, loss, and connection after the daughter’s A.I helper unexpectedly breaks down in Kogonada’s second film, After Yang. This is a quiet, contemplative film about family and connections. Those connections can impact your family and your life in general. Even though this is a science fiction film, the sci-fi aspect of it is really in the background as we watch this family overcome the loss of someone who had become a more important part of their life than they had initially realized.
10 Ex Machina (2014)
Another excellent science fiction entry from A24, Ex Machina is about a young programmer who is selected to participate in a study of synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human characteristics of an advanced humanoid A.I. It’s an incredibly intelligent film with a lot to say about human beings and what we expect, or demand, out of technology. We spend a lot of time using technology to the point where we rely on it for pretty much everything, and Ex Machina explores that human quality.
9 Uncut Gems (2019)
Netflix
The Safdie Brothers Uncut Gems was Adam Sandler’s chance to prove to everyone that while he is The Sandman, he can be serious if he wants to be. Sandler is known for playing goofy characters that have a knack for funny accents, but he really showed off his acting chops in this. The movie follows a New York City jeweler saddled with debt and willing to risk everything in order to make it big. That is quite different from any role Sandler has ever played, which makes this fast-paced thriller even more satisfying to watch.
8 Lady Bird (2017)
A24
Another coming-of-age story, but this time about the strained relationship between a mother (Laurie Metcalf) and a daughter (Saiorse Ronan) as the daughter gets ready to graduate high school and attempt to get out of Sacramento. Lady Bird is charming and even a little sad. Most of us can relate to the desperation to experience life outside our hometowns and to live without the restrictions of our parents’ rules. However, most of us can also relate to missing our hometowns and the guidance of our parents as we get older and have to deal with life on our own. Lady Bird does a perfect job of conveying all of those thoughts and emotions.
7 Good Time (2017)
Another collaboration between the Safdie brothers, this time with Robert Pattinson leading, Good Time explores one chaotic night in the life of a man’s desperate attempt to free his younger brother from jail after a botched bank robbery. Pattinson weaves his way through the dark, twisted streets of New York’s criminal scene, always seconds away from being caught. It’s fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 102-minute runtime.
6 The Florida Project (2017)
Set in Kissimmee, The Florida Project centers around a precocious six-year-old named Moonee as she finds mischief and adventure with her friends, bonds with her rebellious yet caring mother, and finds joy in living in a motel, all on the outskirts of Walt Disney World. Considering Moonee and her friends live in the shadows of the happiest place on Earth, she is still able to find things in her life that are enjoyable, such as traipsing around the discount souvenir shops or eating ice cream cones in the motel’s lobby. It is a true testament to the innocence of children and their blissful ignorance of the circumstances of their lives. Even if Moonee is aware that her life is different from those of the children who actually get to go to Disney, she doesn’t let it stop her from finding happiness in little things.
5 American Honey (2016)
A teenage girl with no real family decides to join a traveling magazine sales crew and gets caught up in hard partying, bending the law, and young love as she travels across the Midwest in a van full of misfits in Andrea Arnold’s American Honey. This film really encapsulates the desire to make something of yourself and prove that you can do anything when you’re a teenager. That rebellious nature and need to experience life without rules. It’s an unconventional coming-of-age film but is nonetheless moving, relatable, and authentic.
4 Waves (2019)
Guy Grand Productions
Waves is a story about two very different siblings and their controlling father who is dead set on his children succeeding in high school. After the son sustains a career-ending sports injury and tragedy follows soon after, their family suffers greatly. The story is told in two parts, with the first half revolving around the son, and the second half revolving around the daughter. Having the narrative split up between the perspectives of the son and the daughter allows the viewer to understand the dynamics of the family and while they grew up with the same parents, they are two completely different people who handle situations very differently.
3 Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
An aging Chinese immigrant discovers that she can travel the multiverse and save the world by connecting with other versions of herself in lives she could have lived in Everything Everywhere All at Once. This film has received so much hype and many consider it to be one of the best films of 2022. It is eccentric and weird and probably unlike anything you have seen before. It’s certainly a new take on the concept of the multiverse and different realities. However, at its core, Everything Everywhere All at Once is really about the strained relationship between a mother stuck in her ways and a daughter who can’t get her mother to understand her. Despite the difficulties of their relationship, they love each other, and a good mom will do anything for her child.
2 Aftersun (2022)
MubiA24
Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut, Aftersun, follows Sophie as she reflects on the joy and melancholy of a holiday she went on with her father 20 years ago. Wells explores the nostalgia of childhood and the memories that stick with us for years to come. It’s a simple film, but it triggers repressed memories both pleasant and not-so-pleasant. Healing your inner child and reflecting on moments from your childhood is an essential part of growing up and moving on with life, and Aftersun portrays this beautifully.
1 Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Sam (Andrew Garfield) meets a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment complex pool one night. When she vanishes the next morning, he sets out on a surreal request throughout Los Angeles to uncover the secret behind her disappearance, leading him straight into a bizarre conspiracy in Under the Silver Lake. Andrew Garfield gives one of his best performances here and the visuals are gorgeous. It just oozes L.A. in every frame with palm trees, wannabe celebrities, and rooftop partying. It feels seedy and strange even when Sam is in broad daylight. Under the Silver Lake captures the absurdity of the conspiracy-theory paranoia that a lot of people feed into.
