The 95th Academy Awards might as well have been called the A24 awards. A24 made history by becoming the first studio to sweep all four of the acting categories as well as Best Director and Best Picture. The little indie studio that could has developed a reputation that no other film studio has, meticulously crafting a brand that is as unique as the auteurs they hand budgets to.
By prioritizing filmmakers with very distinct voices, filmmakers who have stories to tell that haven't previously been told, and giving a home to both accomplished under-the-radar auteurs and first-time filmmakers eager to show their stuff, A24 has firmly established a cult following for cinephiles who would rather worship at the alter of an Ari Aster than line up for the latest Marvel spectacle. With savvy marketing and private founders who shun PR, A24 makes their films the face of their company, once again showing that they are about one thing and one thing only: filmmakers.
We've been lucky to work with A24 numerous times since its inception in 2012, and continue to work with them as they expand into television with the upcoming Netflix series Beef (which is already following the A24 formula of receiving ecstatic critical praise).
And while films like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Hereditary (another #SessionsFamily film) are already beloved hits, here are five A24 films that you should watch that you might not already have (although if you're a real A24 devotee, these A24 milestone films have been streamed ad nauseum).
English director Andrea Arnold's fourth feature film is a quintessential American one. American Honey earned Arnold her third Cannes Grand Jury prize, a remarkable feat, and received high critical praise from the likes of the LA Times, whose critic Justin Chang called the film "wild, rambling and astonishingly beautiful." That's as apt of a description of the film that you'll find. The film launched the magnetic Sasha Lane's career, and as excellent as Lane is, their costar Riley Keogh (now starring in Prime Video's Daisy Jones and the Six) steals every scene. American Honey is available to watch on Paramount+.
If the only thing that 20th Century Women had going for it was to be another showcase for the inimitable talent of Annette Bening, it would certainly be worth it. Luckily, Mike Mills' second feature, after the wonderful Beginners (another #SessionsFamily film), has a lot more going for it. Set in 1979, the makeshift family at the heart of the film includes a fantastic cast of the aforementioned Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Lucas Jade Zumann. Mills' moving screenplay received a deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and both Bening and Gerwig received multiple critics awards and nominations. 20th Century Women is available to stream for free on Kanopy and Hoopla, and available to rent on most major streaming services.
The movie that started it all for the dynamic (and now Oscar-winning) directing duo Daniels, Swiss Army Man made quite the scene at the Sundance Film Festival where some audience members even walked out of the surreal film - don't worry, the Daniels know that their taste isn't for everyone (just those with good taste ;)). Affectionately known as the "Harry Potter farting corpse movie," Swiss Army Man is surprisingly poignant, a thoughtful, meditative film about the meaning of life with excellent performances from Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. Quirky and bizarre, the Daniels have their fingerprints all over the film and one can see its influence on their second film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Don't sleep on Swiss Army Man. The film is available to stream on HBO Max.
A24 wisely picked up the distribution rights to Joe Talbot's directorial debut, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, which he set up a successful Kickstarter to raise the budget to film. Talbot is an SF native who, along with best friend and star Jimmie Fails, struggled to stay in the city that they grew up in, the city that they love, and the city that they have witnessed transforming to the point that Fails has become one of the few Black residents left (only 5% of SF's current population). Featuring a standout breakthrough performance by Jonathan Majors and the assured presence of Danny Glover (another SF resident), The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a deeply personal and empathetic story that exemplifies the type of storytelling that A24 excels at. The film is available to watch for free on Kanopy.
American auteur Kelly Reichardt is known for her "slow cinema" style, focusing on rural American and working-class characters. First Cow is one of her best, and a hallmark of her distinctive style. Set in the early 1800s during pioneer times, the film stars John Magaro (who will also be seen in the heavily anticipated A24 release Past Lives) and Orion Lee as the mismatched duo who are just trying to get by in difficult times. The inherent goodness of Reichardt's characters elevate this lovely Western, exploring themes of friendship, community and colonialism. In its review of the film, The Ringer described Reichardt as "the most consistently politically conscious and sociologically astute American filmmaker of the post-’90s generation—a major artist in a minor key." Similar rapturous praise followed for First Cow, and it was named Best Film by the New York Film Critics Circle. First Cow is available to stream on Peacock.