A24

Who would have thought that a little New York production house named after an Italian highway would be just what the movie industry needed for a cultural reset? 

Created in just 2012, A24 has created some of the most riveting, talked-about, and controversial movies of the last decade. From Spring Breakers back in 2013 to the Oscar-Winning Lady Bird in 2017, this small, 124-person film house has changed cinema forever.

A24 is best known for films that showcase the most unspeakable things. Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture for bringing light to black, male homosexuality. Room took home four Oscars, including Best Picture in 2016, for exemplifying the physical and emotional freedom of a mother and son who were kept captive in an enclosed space for years. The Florida Project tells a tragic tale of a six-year-old girl living with a young, single mom who struggles to keep them afloat. Some of their most famous films tackle the ideas most mainstream films shy away from like religion, sexuality, and psychological discussions.

This film house does so many things well; coming-of-age, horror/thriller, drama, and even adventures. I’ve seen about 20 of their films and two of their television shows and by far, my favorite A24 genres are Horror/Thriller and Coming-of-Age. Euphoria just might be one of my favorite shows of all time, despite how wild it is. The things those teenagers do in that show is beyond me, but not quite as crazy as some of the mainstream shows out there like Riverdale (yikeeeeesss). 

Aside from telling some of the best, untold stories, A24 is also amazing at creating beautiful worlds through their cinematography and soundtracks. Visually, A24 films are stunning. Their cinematography consistently depicts the perfect tone for their plots and utilizes such an array of colors that captivate you & keep you sucked in. The company itself uses retro vibes to heighten their branding. The best depiction of this is seen in their production intro.

In addition to all of these prior reasons, A24 is my favorite production house because they unapologetically go there! They go where no big filmmakers dare to go, they take risks (which typically ends up reaping great rewards), they tell thought-provoking stories and they put underrepresented people at the forefront of the industry. They made me love coming-of-age stories and completely reinvented the horror genre (alongside Jordan Peele, of course). 

Some of my favorite movies were made byA24; Moonlight, The Disaster Artist, Uncut Gems, and I’d even dare to put Midsommar up there, even though that movie freaked me out for days. 

Even with the movies that didn’t quite make my “Top Movies List” they were all still outstanding. Aside from the entertainment value, I judge a movie’s quality heavily on whether or not it was thought-provoking and kept me talking about it days later. Every single A24 film or tv show has me doing that without fail! 

A24 is the best production house in the game right now because they consistently put out unique and phenomenal content that typically is underrated! Check out some of their films and let me know what you think!

And, if you’re already an avid A24 fan, I encourage you to fill out this bracket with your top picks and share it with me, @borderlinemillennials on Instagram or @saharasspace on Twitter!

THIS POST WAS REVIEWED AND EDITED BY ARJUNA RAMGOPAL, PRODUCER OF WAS IT GOOD PODCAST