The 25 Best A24 Movies, Ranked
Even though we’ve tried very, very hard to rid the grim alternate future of Alex Garland’s Civil War from our heads, we simply can’t. The director’s vision of a not-too-hard-to-imagine United States that is decimated by radicalism and hatred hit incredibly hard during a turbulent election year. —Brady Langmann
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In my opinion, Dream Scenario is pure nightmare fuel—but hey, it makes for a great story. The film stars Nicolas Cage as Paul Matthews, an ordinary guy who starts popping up in everyone’s dreams. It’s all fun and games until Paul’s cameos begin to alter reality. Also, Dream Scenario is the latest stop on the Nic Cageaissance, which I always and forever will be here for. —B.M.
The Jenny Slate–led romantic comedy puts a spin on the typical meet-cute. In Obvious Child, Slate has a one-night stand and finds herself knocked up a few weeks later. She contemplates having an abortion, all while still stalking her ex—and maybe falling in love with the new man in her life, who is unaware of her situation. Things get complicated, but Obvious Child never takes itself too seriously. The film also dares to broach the topic of abortion in a way that feels realistic, tender, and compassionate. —Sirena He
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In Talk to Me, a group of teenagers learn they can connect with spirits through an embalmed hand. Somehow they decide it’d be a fun idea to turn that into a party game, which inevitably leads to some very dire circumstances. I won’t spoil it for you, but ghosts don’t like to be messed with. That said, I will tell you that Talk to Me is a singular debut from the Philippou brothers—one that’s so damn good that we may one day regret ranking it this low. —B.M.
Love Lies Bleeding is a bodybuilder romance starring Kristen Stewart and Katy M. O’Brian. Stewart plays Lou, a gym manager who falls in love with her new client, Jackie (O’Brian). They hit it off immediately, but their whirlwind romance is threatened when Lou is sucked into her family’s crime ring. If you haven’t seen Love Lies Bleeding yet, just know that it’s easily one of the best sex movies in recent memory. —B.M.
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The once-secret prequel of X stands out from the bloody original. Paying homage to the golden era of Hollywood films, Pearl is the origin story of an unhinged, ambitious girl whose personality is too big for her small town. Mia Goth reprises her role as the younger Pearl, who turns into the deranged elderly woman in X. Goth brings an impassioned performance that evokes empathy for the lonely and out-of-control young Pearl. The next film in the trilogy will follow the adventures of Maxine (also Goth) post-X. —S.H.
Featuring one of the best performances from the beloved late actor Anton Yelchin, Green Room is a hyper-violent horror film set in the claustrophobic green room of a punk club populated by neo-Nazis. In the film, Yelchin and his bandmates wind up playing at the club—and are forced into a terrifyingly bloody standoff against the skinheads when they witness a murder. Plus, Patrick Stewart appears in a role unlike any he’s ever played before. Instead of displaying his usual calm and kindly demeanor, Stewart plays a cold and ruthless villain who’ll haunt your dreams. —S.H.
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Owen (Justice Smith) is an ordinary teen. Like everyone else, he’s just trying to discover who he is. That journey begins when Owen’s friend introduces him to a mind-bending television show. As he becomes engrossed in the show, Owen’s reality shifts, causing him to question what’s real, what’s fake, and how he relates to it all. Also, let’s give some props to director Jane Schoenbrun for delivering yet another horror masterpiece.
First Cow follows a baker and a Chinese immigrant in the 1800s who sell cookies made from stolen milk. When the cow’s owner gets wise, the two men are forced to run for their lives. That sounds a bit crazier than what this quiet movie entails, but it’s also anchored by a fantastic are-they-or-aren’t-they queer romance between the newfound friends. —Josh Rosenberg
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What do you think would happen if And Then There Were None took place in 2022? Well, watch Bodies Bodies Bodies to find out. In the comedic thriller, a rich group of 20-somethings spends the night in a remote mansion. When one friend turns up dead, tensions rise among the rest while they try to identify the killer ... and turn against each other in the process. Also, you know, Pete Davidson is there, too. —B.M.
Bo Burnham’s 2018 directorial debut does something incredible: It manages to brilliantly convey the joys and pains of being young in the smartphone era while staying relatable to anyone who was ever young. Consider this a call for a Boyhood-esque catch-up with Eighth Grade’s lovable hero, Kayla. —B.L.
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Room is based on Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel of the same name. The story follows Jack, a five-year-old who’s held captive in a room with his mother. One day, Jack manages to escape, freeing his mom in the process. As they acclimate to their freedom, Jack is thrust into the outside world and experiences it all for the first time.
In this quasi remix of Winter Light and Diary of a Country Priest, director Paul Schrader sends Ethan Hawke into the bitter cold of upstate New York to drum up support for his church. Since First Reformed is a Schrader film, get ready for everyone in the movie to enter a world of pitiful and excruciating misery. Luckily for the Taxi Driver screenwriter, he’s the best at that kind of thing. —J.R.
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Spellbinding and surreal, The Green Knight honors and deconstructs the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the classic chivalric romance, reckless Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, accepts a challenge from the sinister Green Knight: Any knight who can land a blow may keep his imposing ax, but one year later, that knight must journey to the Green Chapel, where he’ll receive the same blow. When Gawain beheads the Green Knight, he seals his fate—and tees up the bulk of the movie, too. The Green Knight traces Gawain’s quest to confront his challenger; along the way, he contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, talking foxes, and so much more. This dreamlike film moves like a medieval poem, circling back again and again to resonant images and themes. Full of bewitching contradictions, it is an unforgettable epic about masculinity, mortality, and the true meaning of honor. —Adrienne Westenfeld
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Quiet and subtly terrifying (until it’s suddenly about pure survival), The Lighthouse is the kind of film that director Robert Eggers described as “a movie where both Jung and Freud would be furiously eating their popcorn.” Everything isn’t as it seems when a never-ending storm in 1890s New England keeps the experienced lighthouse keeper (Willem Dafoe) locked up with the novice trainee (Robert Pattinson). Shot in black and white with claustrophobic interiors, The Lighthouse is tense and mysterious—as an unfortunate circumstance slowly drives the two keepers into a violent and Oedipal panic. —J.R.
We Live in Time is a romantic drama following Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh)—two people who, quite literally, crash into each other’s life. Their love story weaves through time, ushering in changes like marriage, parenthood, and unforeseen illness. When Elmut is diagnosed with cancer, she and Tobias are forced to reconsider their relationship with time and each other.
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Named after a water-parsley plant native to South Korea that grows best in poor soil, Minari chronicles South Korean immigrants who settle on a farm in Arkansas during the ’80s. As their children explore the confusing culture clash of American assimilation, so does new farmer Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) in his pursuit to create a better life for his family. Of course, Youn Yuh-jung gives a singular performance as the aging matriarch. —J.R.
In After Yang’s vision of the future, robotic companions become a household norm. Yang is a quiet android who dances and teaches a couple’s adoptive daughter about her Chinese heritage. But when he suddenly breaks down, the family come to realize that they thought of him as much more than just a learning tool. If you haven’t seen After Yang yet, fix that right now—it’s one of the most underrated films on this list. —J.R.
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