A24 is 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 as Everything Everywhere All At Once, Moonlight, and Lady Bird, with these first two earning Best Picture Oscar nominations (and wins) for the company. While A24 has been releasing movies since 2013, its TV endeavors are more recent and sparser, including the likes of Euphoria, Beef, and Ramy. Its most successful TV show is undoubtedly Euphoria, 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 include Lady Bird, American Honey, and 20th Century Women to 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.
13 Eighth Grade (2018)
Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade follows 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.
12 C'mon C'mon (2021)
C’mon C’mon is 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.
11 First Reformed (2017)
Ethan Hawke features in First Reformed as 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 Reformed is no easy watch, but it rewards your persistence.
10 20th Century Women (2016)
In another Mike Mills-A24 collaboration, 20th Century Women is 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 and filmmaker Greta Gerwig along 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.
9 A Ghost Story (2017)
In David Lowery’s A 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.
8 After Yang (2021)
A24
Set not too far in the future, After Yang finds a family, made up of Oscar-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.
7 The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is 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.
6 Aftersun (2022)
A24
Aftersun is 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.
5 The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell is 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 with The 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 in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, but from a different perspective.
4 Close (2022)
From Belgian writer and director Lukas Dohnt comes Close. 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. Close is beautifully told and is unmatched in its conveyance of piercing emotion.
3 Room (2015)
The harrowing story of Room centers around Brie Larson’s character and her son, who she gave birth to while being kept in captivity, and, as a result, has never seen the outside world. We see both the expected, horrifying aspects of this life as well as moments of love and care between the two. When they make it out, against all odds, life in the outside world also presents its challenges. With such a dark premise, it’s unsurprising that Room is deeply emotional, but the impressive performances from Larson and Jacob Tremblay mean it never falls into cliché.
2 Moonlight (2016)
Barry Jenkins’ masterpiece, Moonlight, stars Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes as the same character, Chiron, at different ages. We see Chiron growing up and coming of age as he learns about himself, his family, and his sexuality. All three actors have an incredibly powerful gift for conveying emotion on-screen that is hard to come by. While the movie’s run-time is under two hours, the fact that we see Chiron at these different ages makes it feel like we’ve known him for a lifetime. As a result of that, everything he goes through hits home for the audience.
1 The Florida Project (2017)
The Florida Project centers around a motel near Disney World in Florida in which a young girl, Moonee, and her mother live. The movie is largely presented from the point of view of Moonee and her friends, so we see the wonder that they find in their circumstances. These friendships are so wonderful to watch and beautifully portrayed by such young actors and these are what pack the biggest punch of the movie. By the time we reach the showstopping ending, the way the movie plays out is completely devastating.
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