A24is a film and television distribution company founded in 2012 that also began producing some of their movies in 2016. They are most known for movies such asEverything Everywhere All At Once,Moonlight, andLady Bird, with these first two earningBest Picture Oscarnominations (and wins) for the company. While A24 has been releasing movies since 2013, its TV endeavors are more recent and sparser, including the likes ofEuphoria,Beef, andRamy. Its most successful TV show is undoubtedlyEuphoria, which won six Emmys in its first two seasons and earned a further 10 nominations.
There is a common misconception about A24 that there is some kind of thread tying all of its movies together stylistically. However, the reality is that it has no creative control over the movies it is solely distributing. Movies that are often cited as examples of the A24 style includeLady Bird,American Honey, and20th Century Womento name a few, and these are not movies that the company was involved in as a producer. So, while it can be trusted to tastefully curate a selection of movies to distribute, sometimes we are crediting the wrong people when praising their catalog. Here are 12 of the most emotional movies in A24’s impressive archive, ranked.
13Eighth Grade (2018)
Bo Burnham’s directorial debut,Eighth Gradefollows the life of a young teenager as she completes the last week of eighth grade. This teenager, Kayla, is played by Elsie Fisher, and she goes through awkward, upsetting experiences but also moments of optimism. Fisher is almost too good at conveying Kayla’s excruciating shyness, which is made all the more painful to watch because when we see her at home, comfortable, she is a joy to be around. It’s the inclusion of the positives as well as the negatives of her life that make both stand out in such a potent way despite the subtle tone of the movie.
12C’mon C’mon (2021)
C’mon C’monis a movie written and directed by Mike Mills, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffman, and Woody Norman. Phoenix’s role is Johnny, whose sister asks him to take care of her son, Jesse, for a while. Johnny takes Jesse along with him on a road trip in which he interviews children across the country on their views about the future. While the emotional trajectory of the plot may be slightly predictable — Jesse’s presence in Johnny’s life relieves some of his bottled-up emotion — the way it is carried out elevates it. Phoenix’s performance is, as always, excellent, and he is well-matched by Norman, with the bond they create being deeply touching and potent.
11First Reformed (2017)
Ethan Hawke featuresinFirst Reformedas the minister of a small congregation, Reverend Ernst Toller. After the death of his son, his marriage collapsed, leaving Toller believing himself incapable of love. It is in this state of pessimism that he is visited by Amanda Seyfried’s Mary, a pregnant woman seeking guidance about bringing a child into a world fated for climate collapse. From the setup alone, it’s not hard to see how this gets emotional. Grappling with complex questions,First Reformedis no easy watch, but it rewards your persistence.
1020th Century Women (2016)
In another Mike Mills-A24 collaboration,20th Century Womenis set in 1979, following a teenage boy and the women in his life who help to raise him. It features the powerhouses of Annette Bening andfilmmaker Greta Gerwigalong with Elle Fanning, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Billy Crudup. This coming-of-age story is so tenderly drawn and filled with touching performances that the relationships here feel real and grounded even within the stylized framework of the movie. While it’s the kind of movie that prompts people to throw around the “nothing happens” criticism, if you invest in its emotions you will not be disappointed with the payoff.
Related:Every A24 Coming-Of-Age Movie, Ranked
9A Ghost Story (2017)
In David Lowery’sA Ghost Story, Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star as a married couple whose relationship is abruptly cut short when Affleck dies. He returns home as a white-sheeted ghost, but remains unseen by Mara’s character. The ghost being an invisible participant in her grieving process unites the audience’s point of view with his, putting us in the shoes of a husband watching his wife grieve his death, unable to comfort her. With a topic like this, it’s an incredibly emotional movie despite its stylistic subtlety.
8After Yang (2021)
Set not too far in the future,After Yangfinds a family, made up ofOscar-nominee Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, reckoning with the breakdown of their A.I. companion, Yang. This shift in their dynamics sets the patriarch on a road of introspection in regard to his relationships with his wife and daughter. As a director, Kogonda is excellent at presenting interesting questions without feeling the need to make any answers completely clear. The movie explores loss, technology, and family with beautiful performances from every cast member, all while being visually stunning.
7The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
The Last Black Man in San Franciscois based on a semi-autobiographical story by Jimmie Fails, who also stars in the movie as a character of the same name. The narrative charts Jimmie’s experience of being pushed out of his lifelong home by gentrification. He longs to reclaim his childhood home which was built by his grandfather and is occupied by a white couple. While this particular scenario is specific to Fails himself, the feeling of not being able to go home because it’s unavailable or unrecognizable is something that strikes a chord with many.
6Aftersun (2022)
Aftersunis a quietly moving drama about a young woman looking back on a holiday she took with her father as a child. It stars Paul Mescal as Callum, the father, and Frankie Corio as Sophie, his daughter. At 11 years old, Sophie is approaching her teenage years, marking an impending, bittersweet change in their parent-child dynamic. This, along with Callum’s rocky mental state make the movie’s emotions ripe and raw, especially as we see it from adult Sophie’s wiser point of view.
5The Farewell (2019)
The Farewellis a movie written and directed by Lulu Wang, based on events that happened in her life. Awkwafina stars as Billi, a woman who returns to China to see her grandmother who was diagnosed with stage four cancer. The twist is that Billi’s family is keeping the diagnosis secret from her grandmother. In an interview withThe Guardian, Wang discusses the different emotional layers of the story. She says, “Every time I go back to China, I feel more American than ever, so it’s this question of, ‘Well, where is home?’” which speaks to a similar point made inThe Last Black Man in San Francisco,but from a different perspective.
4Close (2022)
From Belgian writer and director Lukas Dohnt comesClose. It tells the story of two young boys, played by Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele, who are incredibly close until one of them pulls away. The fallout of their friendship is devastating, with unintended consequences. We have all experienced lost friendships even if the circumstances are not as dramatic or serious as this. With the two young actors being so talented, it’s not hard to feel what these characters are going through.Closeis beautifully told and is unmatched in its conveyance of piercing emotion.
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