The 25 best A24 movies

We could spend all day talking about Hereditary . From the metatextual opening to the metaphysical close, this is one of those films that burns its imagery into your brain. It's not just that Ari Aster's debut has some crazy imagery or that Toni Collette's performance has some crazy moments, but that the whole thing comes together like a perfectly constructed house. Aster set the blueprint for horror movies moving forward, and we're all the better for it. 

Barry Jenkins' debut is a classic in more ways than one. It's a classic of queer cinema, Black cinema, independent cinema, and cinema as a whole. It's that rare indie to go on to win Best Picture and that rare Best Picture to change lives. The story of Chiron's life as a Black man in Florida remains one of the great coming-of-age tales to date. 

And the best horror movie on our list goes to...Lady Bird! Let's face it, this movie about a high school student gave us all PTSD. Even if you're nothing like Lady Bird, you can relate to those fights with mom and teachers at school. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. 

A movie about a bunch of people connecting across different timelines, a ghost resembling a Halloween costume, and a drunk guy talking about the meaning of life? Yeah, this is an A24 film. While most people didn't get on David Lowery's wavelength, we found this one to be as haunting as a corpse. 

Florence Pugh has been through a lot lately. Not only did she have the whole Venice drama last year, but she also had the whole Midsommar drama in 2019. In Ari Aster's second feature, Pugh had to deal with a murder-suicıde, an uncaring boyfriend, and a soul-crushing breakdown — and that's just the first act. Just wait for the Swedish cult in the second act. Not since The Wicker Man has daytime horror been this shady. 

Named after a plant that grows in poor soil, Minari follows a South Korean family who settles down in Arkansas. In their own way, they grow like the plant of the title. In poor soil, these four blossom into something extremely beautiful — a family that could have been lifted from a Yasujiro Ozu movie. 

What happens when a tech billionaire loses their mind?  They buy Twitter. That, or they buy a robot that will try to kill them. In Alex Garland's masterpiece, the latter happens to Oscar Isaac as he tries to escape his home. 

This weird and twisted tale is about a man who is going to turn into a lobster. Kind of like a backwards Little Mermaid? Kind of, but with a style that is uniquely Yorgos Lanthimos. 

This is a high-school romance you have seen a thousand times but with an A24 twist. A popular boy falls for a nerdy girl, and the two must deal with their differences. It's a tale as old as time, but there's a specificity to this film that can't be found in other high school romances. 

All hail David Lowery! The director of the best movie of 2021 turned the story of King Arthur into a metaphysical journey. There's never been anything quite like it. 

Few movies capture the awkward moments of youth quite like Eighth Grade, a movie that director Bo Burnham said was inspired by middle-school vloggers. Our 13-year-old protagonist can barely put together sentences — let alone talk to boys — and she can barely hide her insecurities behind her vlogs. You don't see it every day in movies, but you see it every day in real life. 

Combining the threads of Oscar-bait, Sundance favorites, and art-house classics, Room may actually be a sleeper on our list. It's got more going for it than just coming-of-age tropes. It's got great performances from Brie Larson and breakout star Jacob Tremblay and a story that goes deeper than most Oscar contenders. The tale of a kidnapped girl makes you look at the world in a new light. 

A band has to fight for their lives after they witness something terrible at a concert, leading to all sorts of murders. It's the kind of premise you can only find in an A24 film, and you can only find on a list like ours. 

What would happen if Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe got trapped in a lighthouse? They would probably find a way out and have some pretty interesting conversations about acting. But in Robert Eggers' horror flick, they are two Jack Nicholsons staying at the same Overlook Hotel. Shouting, dancing, punching, and axe-wielding ensue. 

Before he made The Lighthouse, Eggers made his mark with another horror film, The Witch. Set in 19th-century Maine, the film follows a family trying to fend off a witch, which may or may not be connected to a goat named Phillip. A slow pace keeps this movie on edge, while a slow camera keeps this movie on tilt. 

A24 found early success in the horror genre, especially after the release of Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin. The movie that established A24's style, Under the Skin takes what could have been another Close Encounters and spins it into something much more hypnotic. As Scarlett Johansson eats men alive, you aren't sure whether to be dazzled, horrified, or both. We went with both. 

Sean Baker specializes in movies set on the outskirts of civilization, and The Florida Project (his first collaboration with A24) takes that to a whole new level. Have you ever driven past a motel in the middle of nowhere and wondered, "Who actually lives there?" Baker answers that question with a drama about the kids who live there daily.  

Have you tried mixing cocaine with Adderall and then gone to the poker table? I haven't. But my guess is it would feel something like Uncut Gems , a movie that sees Adam Sandler gamble his way to rock bottom. 

The Safdies make movies that mimic the feeling of drugs. They start out strong and pulse with an energy that feels like anything can happen. Then they start to fade, and their characters begin to fade with them. It's what happens to Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, and it's what happens to Robert Pattinson in their breakout feature Good Time. 

Swiss Army Man is best known for the farting corpse (don't ask), but there's more to the Daniels' breakout than just flatulence. There's a tale of human connection between two loners who have lost the will to live. Can they find a way to move forward? Of course, they can, so long as they can use a farting corpse to get there. 

An affectionate look at the process of immigrating to another country, The Farewell not only made Awkwafina a star but also made director Lulu Wang a star. Wang is now poised to make a couple of movies, both of which will have a similar vibe to this one. 

A great movie about a terrible one. The Disaster Artist tells the story of Tommy Wiseau, a director who made the "worst movie of all time." While I think The Room has competition for that spot (and is probably bested by a few other titles), this satire really makes you question whether the movie can be beaten. 

Kogonada makes movies like ASMR videos. After Yang is about a robot who passes away, leaving his family devastated by the loss. The entire story is devoted to his absence, how he was once a part of the family, and how his presence is now filled with silence. 

Listen, Academy voters. If Everything Everywhere All At Once doesn't win Best Picture, you'll be the ones to blame for it. Give this movie props while you still can.