The Top 10 A24 Films to Watch in 2021

Luis Antonio Ruiz
Dec 23, 2020
8 min read

Is this the blog that solidifies my film buff status? Will I be taken seriously now, or will I get

the stereotypical roast about saying ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is my favorite movie bro?

Ehhh I really don’t give a shit. We all know my favorite film is ~Blade Runner 2049~, cinema at its finest.

(Will there ever be a day that I don’t reference that movie?)

Alright… let’s dive into this shit. A24, for the people who live under a rock and is named Cameron, but you go by Cam and you probably love all Boston professional sports teams and your favorite movie is ‘Space Jam’ starring the second-best NBA player of all-time, is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film distribution, and film and television production.

So, basically A24 is like that kid you know who won’t shut up about, Tame Impala, J. Cole (who went double platinum wit….), and Kayne West, because they think they are like revolutionary and like the fucking goats, artsy, and poetic, etc.

If that didn’t make sense to you, then you were definitely born before 1996. Boomer.

Anyway!

I honestly love A24 because they do put the art first. The film majors with a minor in behavioral psychology directors get weird with it and me and the J. Cole like stans are here for it. Forreal though look at the Safdie brothers. They directed a few music videos for Jay Z and some other artists, then they make ‘Good Time’, starring the shiny vampire, Robert Pattinson.

I’m sorry I feel like you all think I’m shitting on these artsy directors, actors, and A24 but I’m not. I PROMISE.

This is honestly me making fun of myself, because this is me. This is also the way I talk to my friends… Can you believe that?

I love RobPat. He is one awesome ‘Batman’ movie away from me becoming a stand, like I am for Ryan Gosling.

I love every director, cinematographer, composer, costume & design person that works on a A24 film. Like I said, the art comes first. The vision from the director and the crew come first. That is why SO MANY people love this “small, independent” entertainment company. They are original with everything they do. It might not be the BEST film, but it still was well made and wasn’t made for money.

Now, each film I put I have seen and will say that they are peculiar. I highly suggest you all watch, because most of these movies you will say “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT?”, but you will still see the little flower that is blossoming from the little crack in the concrete.

Even in darkness there is a little light that flickers at the end of the tunnel, but only the ones who try and look to see where the light is coming from appreciate it.

TOP 10 MUST-SEE A24 FILMS

‘Moonlight’

Director: Barry Jenkins

DoP: James Laxton

Year: 2016

‘Moonlight’ is WITHOUT a doubt the number one MUST-SEE film on this list of almost perfect films. ‘Moonlight’ is not just THE best A24 film, but it is one of the best films of the 21st century.

‘Moonlight’ is a coming-of-age drama that touches on three stages of life: Childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. It is such an honest representation of life. Especially for a minority.

The color scale, writing, and cinematography is incredible. I won’t go into deep detail, but the dialogue is so real that it feels like it’s people just talking, and it doesn’t seem like someone wrote it. Check it out or stay sleeping under a rock, like that Cam guy. 100/100

‘The Lighthouse’

Director: Robert Eggers

DoP: Jarin Blaschke

Year: 2019

“You don’t like me lobster?!”

Will a lot of people like this film or understand it? Absolutely fucking not. Why watch it? RobPat and Willem DaFoe give performances of the decade. It is FANTASTIC. 98/100

‘The Farewell’

Director: Lulu Wang

DoP: Anna Franquesa Solano

Year: 2019

When it comes to family, in the US of A, everyone has a different view on the topic, but in foreign countries and many cultures they all are on the same boat with similar views on family. I know in Hispanic culture, because I am Hispanic, that family is everything. No matter what. As a kid you listen and respect every elder family member, even if you think they are wrong. As soon as you question them, they say they know better from experience, which may be true, but the lucky ones grow up to find out that you can have a mind of your own. And yes, family is important, but you, yourself is important.

MY B, I got a little off track, but not really. ‘The Farewell’ is somewhat of a light-hearted, dark comedy, in my opinion, that is uplifting. What does that sound like to you? Life. (A HA HA) However, my rant above wasn’t for nothing. In the film, director, Lulu Wang shows us how in China, families handle a situation when a matriarch is terminally sick. Like ‘Moonlight’ this film is just raw, and it feels as if you are just following a real family. The direction and writing are beautiful. The color is monochromatic almost, but powerful.

Lulu Wang went to Warner Brothers at first and they offered her $90 million for the rights to the movie and that she can direct. However, she wouldn’t have the creative freedom she desired. Hmmmm typical big studio vibes, especially Warner Brothers. Trying to ruin movie theaters. Anyway, Wang walked from the $90 million deal. She took her talents to A24 for $6 million. She had complete creative freedom and well it was fantastic. I mean she showed that Akwafina has some chops and it almost made me cry. The film also shows how a Chinese-born, U.S.-raised girl returns to Changchun. She is lost, but this trip is life-changing for many reasons.

I’ve only cried during four movies. 94/100

‘Good Time’

Director: Safdie Brothers

DoP: Sean Price Williams

Year: 2017

Now, let me pull a FULL 180 on you with this next film. Watching this was not a ~good time~ A HA HA HAAA.

Actually, this movie is full of the Safdie brothers own underivative flavor; Robert Pattinson’s character was unhinged and selfish, yet he thought he was the only one looking out for his brother, played by Benny Safdie. This anxiety-inducing, crime thriller, adrenaline rush, film leads to RobPat’s underworld journey to finding his brother after a botched robbery.

I mean this film is unlike anything I’ve seen. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and that is what the Safdie brothers do. Pattinson moved to a shitty apartment in New York 4-months before filming started to get into character. THE MAN IS ALMOST GOD-LEVEL. He plays this narcissistic, psychopath perfectly.

The score is what makes you stressed and just uneasy, I love it. Watch this film. 92/100

‘Eighth Grade’

Director: Bo Burnham

DoP: Andrew Wehde

Year: 2018

Wow. If you want a very accurate representation of what goes through the mind of an eighth grader about to enter high school, then watch this film. More often then, not for some reason these movies completely butcher the representation of social media or a teen. It is astonishing when they basically know exactly what gets a teens attention. 96/100

‘Uncut Gems’

Director: Safdie Brothers

DoP: Darius Khondji

Year: 2019

“KG, KG!”

Maybe the best line from a film in 2019. Mothafuckin’ Adam Sandler stopped making a poopy fart movie for a hot second and delivered a performance for the AGES. The man deserved an Oscar nomination. The Safdie Brothers delivered another anxiety inducing, high intense film that was one of the top five best movies of last year. FUCK, I am going to rewatch this after I’m done with this blog. I am not saying anything about this movie. Go watch it. 100/100

‘Hereditary’

Director: Ari Aster

DoP: Pawel Pogorzelski

Year: 2018

Let me say this… TONI COLETTE SHOULD HAVE NOT ONLY RECEIVED AN OSCAR NOMINATION, BUT SHOULD HAVE WON THE OSCAR. That performance left a permanent mark in not only my brain, but many others as well.

Ari Aster has created a new genre of “scary” movies, but he also has made it ~ART~. Psychological Thrillers are scarier than any jump scare movie. I am sure a lot of you have seen this, but I cannot stress enough the ~ART~ of this film. FUCK! I love this film. The shot composition, the shot selection, and the monochromatic color scale, again. It is so subtle, but powerful. If you pay close attention to stuff in the background, then you’ll see little subtle hints that foreshadow the inevitable ending. I remember the first time I watched this movie. I could not sleep and was traumatized by the darkness, yet realistic storytelling. Which Ari Aster film is more fucked up though? ‘Midsommar’ or ‘Hereditary’

“I wonder if they know I’m allergic to nuts.” 94/100

‘Midsommar’

Director: Ari Aster

DoP: Pawel Pogorzelski

Year: 2019

For both ‘Midsommar’ and ‘Hereditary’ they should put a black screen with the sentence:

“Must be built different to watch this film.”

Alright this is a hot take, but I don’t care. I believe ‘Midsommar’ is better/more fucked up than ‘Hereditary’ only by the slightest point. I say this because the actors HAD to attend therapy during filming, HAD to meditate weekly, and HAD to stay sober during production. In my opinion I think it is slightly more realistic, because cults and how people who are in a weak state of mind are easily influenced. I think what makes this film more terrifying is the fact that 85% of is during nice, sunny days. A key factor in so many scary movies is that it’s at night or in the dark and the not knowing of what will happen, because of the darkness. However, as we have seen COUNTLESS times is that even in the dark you can be perfectly fine and not scared. ‘Midsommar’ is quite the opposite. You see all these fucked up events and people doing shit that is like realistic, but you still wouldn’t expect to happen.

This GIF is absolutely terrifying. IYKYK.

There is a director’s cut of this film that is 30 minutes longer and it was supposed to be the final version of the film, but it would have been rated NC-17. LIKE BRUH! I NEED to see this. I know I’ll be scarred for life tho. Please watch this film. 93/100

‘Climax’

Director: Gaspar Noé

DoP: Benoît Debie

Year: 2019

I’m not going to say much about this film, because my GOD this film is FUCKED UP TO THE (cli)MAX (literally the funniest person ever). I love it though; Gaspar Noé is known for his obscure, morbid films. It is about a group of dancers who drink too much punch and are now tripping, and it goes to shit. However, if you have seen the film ‘1917’ the way it is shot is seen as one consistent shot. So, it just adds to the anxiety and it makes you uneasy. It is a beautifully, morbid, twisted, trip of a lifetime film. 89/100

‘The Lobster’

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

DoP: Thimios Bakatakis

Year: 2016

A spectacular, highly imaginative, dark comedy. Colin Farrell is the main character in this film, where he lives in a society where if you get dumped by your partner you go to a hotel and have 45 days to find “true love”. If they do not find true love, then they are turned into any animal of their choice and released into the wild. The director is fantastic and really is an ~artsy~ creative. He has directed ‘The Favourite’ and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ as well. He has such a certain style and I love it. It is simple but feels complicated and more than meets the eye. It is a risky film that is bold in its story, but it is perfect. 88/100

‘The Green Knight’

Director: David Lowery

DoP: Andrew Droz Palermo

Year: 2021

Now, this movie has not come out yet, but I am very excited for it. It is a fantasy re-telling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The cast is an amazing one and the story is a less popular one. With A24 behind it, I am excited to see this come out in 2021.

‘Minari’

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

DoP: Lachlan Milne

Year: 2021

This movie has not yet been released, but it is already recieveing a lot of Oscar buzz. It is about a Korean American family that moves to Arkansas (HELLLL NO) looking to find their American Dream. Please watch and EXPERIENCE through the eyes of a family from another country and the struggles and adversity they go through.