My friends and I were discussing the cinematic wonders of the coolest production and distribution company around the other day (shoutout to my library folk friends). Our delightful conversation gave me the idea to pay homage to all the beauty, craftsmanship, and excellence that is A24 in written form. I’m not the first to recognize its brilliance on our Hot Off the Shelf blog team, by the way. My colleague Alyssia wrote a post about some of her favourites here. With the Toronto International Film Festival coming to a close, it seems particularly appropriate to tell you about some of my cherished A24 films. The name A24 comes from a motorway that one of the founders of the company was travelling on in Italy when he had a Paul on the road to Damascus (or Rome, as the case may be) epiphany. His a-ha moment, in the parlance of Oprah, was to put aside his fear of starting his own company and begin. Evidently, his was a good decision because it became the first independent studio to take home the top four acting categories, Best Director, and Best Picture for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once in 2023. I would be remiss if I did not mention the distinct style of A24 horror movies that is now synonymous with the moniker. Often exploring similar thematic content, cultivating similar unsettling atmospheres, and uncomfortably expanding the minds of audiences everywhere, these movies have inspired a diehard fandom. Personally, I have not seen any of them. I am, what they call, a sensitive bean. So, I shall stick to the more moderately frightening psychological thrillers and the like. There are a few on this list. If you’re a horror fan, do check out Hereditary, The Witch, Midsommar, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (linked to our catalogue offerings). So, without further adieu, should we get to it?

20th Century Women

There are some unforgettable scenes in this ensemble piece from writer/director Mike Mills (Beginners). Nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars in 2017, the Academy evidently recognized how good the writing is here. Annette Bening is a single mother raising a son in 1979 Santa Barbara. I remember seeing Bening, Greta Gerwig (she crops up a lot in my posts, doesn’t she?), Elle Fanning, and Bening’s son (played by Lucas Jade Zumann) sitting around the dinner table listening to Gerwig wax on philosophic about the topic of menstruation. Memorable, right? There are touching moments too. Coming-of-age moments and the-reality-of-being-single-and-having-a-teenage-son-moments too. I loved it.

While We’re Young

Although I watched this one not too long after it was released in 2014, I still have very fond memories. Noah Baumbach (whose birthday was not too long ago) co-wrote and directed this comedic picture about a couple getting older and refusing to go quietly. Naomi Watts, Ben Stiller, Adam Driver, and Amanda Seyfried make up the star-studded cast. Stiller and Watts are the older couple who almost become infatuated with the younger Driver and Seyfried — a couple themselves. Emulating the young lovers becomes their new hobby, everything from their pastimes to their attire (cringy fedora pictured here included). There’s a particularly memorable scene where Watts and Stiller try a hallucinogen for kicks and giggles, and it doesn’t go quite as planned. There’s a reason Noah Baumbach is the talk of the town these days. Him and partner-in-life-and-moviemaking Greta Gerwig are excellent filmmakers. I would heartily recommend this flick.

Ex Machina

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this landmark science fiction film with Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander at its helm. I remember how spellbinding and engrossing it was when it came out. The computer-generated imagery was mesmerizing. Almost on another level entirely when you look at the cinematic landscape of 2014. There was good CGI, of course. Interstellar came out that year, but the simulated appearance of Vikander’s android was like nothing I’d seen before. Artificial intelligence was just starting to preoccupy filmmaker’s minds and perhaps even nightmares, given the violence and darkness in the story. Writer/director Alex Garland’s CV is long and incredibly impressive. According to IMDB, he penned the adapted screenplay for the beautiful, heartbreaking wonder of a movie known as Never Let Me Go. Another landmark of the science fiction genre. He also wrote and directed the stunning, horror adjacent sci-fi sleeper Annihilation, which went by under the radar for most in 2018 (available in our catalogue here). Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez were excellent. The classic sci-fi/horror Danny Boyle-directed 28 Days Later was also written by Garland. Pretty impressive, right? Given my aversion to horror, it’s interesting to me that I’ve seen so many of Garland’s sci-fi horror combo movies. Something about their premises and acclaim have always drawn me in.

Uncut Gems

I had the pleasure of seeing this cult favourite film at the TIFF theatre this year (the same day as my emotional viewing of Past Lives, which is also an A24 film. Read all about that here.) I heard many things about this anxiety nightmare of a film but had never laid eyes on it myself. From a description like that, you’d think it was unpleasant experience, but it’s a complex, deeply uncomfortable laugh riot all the way along. I love Adam Sandler’s performance in this, much as I don’t think Howard and I would get along. The Safdie brothers and Ronald Bronstein have penned an excellent script that allows Sandler’s acting chops to shine. Good writing tends to do that. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart, there are some violent scenes, high stakes, and people desperate for money and recognition (why do those two always seem to coincide?). If you can stomach all those things, you will be rewarded with amazing acting, comedic writing, and the feeling of being in New York City. The city that never sleeps, and neither will you after this one.

Locke

Tom Hardy is at the wheel (pun intended) of this tense psychological thriller. The conceit may not seem all that exciting on paper: a one-man movie, filmed entirely within the confines of his car, apart from one opening scene. The result is something else entirely. Hardy’s performance is spectacular, the multiple phone conversations he has are fascinating, and the run time flies by — much like the lighted roads flying by his window. 2014 was evidently a good year for arthouse cinema. This one was released that same year. Like all these movies, it’s available in our catalogue. Do yourself a favour and take it home with you next time you swing by the library.

Side note:

There were some exciting screenings at TIFF this year, including Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s romance about a recently divorced marketing executive and a chef/owner of a restaurant called We Live in Time. It will be distributed by A24 in the US. The director has given us two films with opposite critical responses. Brooklyn and The Goldfinch. Beware, Pugh’s character faces a health crisis in the role, and Kleenex may be required here. As is to be expected from these two titans of acting, the reviews are looking good. Something about the plot description here strikes me as uncommon for A24. A domestic drama with a very grounded premise doesn’t bring to mind the A24 brand. Maybe that’s kind of the point. The company isn’t going anywhere and diversification of offerings might be part of their strategy these days. We shall see.

Announcements about other films A24 may have bought the rights to distribute post TIFF this year are still coming in. Fans of Tim Robinson’s incredibly absurd and idiosyncratic Netflix Comedy entitled I Think You Should Leave will be pleased that A24 is expected to distribute a comedy starring the comedian and Paul Rudd. Friendship has Robinson worried about the safety of his family when Rudd’s character moves in nearby.

All this to say, please check out some of A24’s films if you haven’t already. Chances are you have, without even knowing it. At this point, I would say they’ve secured a reputation of being on the vanguard of the film industry. Pushing the limits of the medium while continuing to entertain and challenge audiences everywhere. I encourage you to explore their entire catalogue available here. Theirs is a gorgeous website, complete with high-resolution landscape stills from their movies. As always, I will see you next month!