For the past decade, the independent film company A24 have produced numerous smash hits in all genres, winning numerous awards, from Oscars to Golden Globes. The production company has even set a new standard for cinema in the 21st century, making film more artistic and aesthetically pleasing for viewers. From horror, to comedy, to drama, and to romance, A24 has produced something for everyone to enjoy and ponder. However, with the amount of successful box office hits produced, it is hard to truly decide which film is THE best. I compiled lists from over a dozen film websites, and I believe I have finally produced, truly, the best top 10 A24 films ever made. 

10) Eighth Grade

This comedy/drama coming of age film focuses on the main character Kayla (portrayed by Elsie Fisher) and her struggles navigating adolescence in the midst of drama, boys, jealousy, sex, social media, and peer pressure. This is a film that radiates pure, and heart-wrenching empathy, as it radically depicts a snapshot of one singular week of eighth grade. In this film, honesty is palpable through every nervous laugh and discomforting conversion, as it shows viewers taht with absolute intimacy, everything will be okay no matter how hard life gets. 

9) Waves

This drama is centered around the relationship between a controlling father and his two children, and how one unexpected tragedy can strain a family forever. Similar to the title, Waves depicts the different “waves” you must overcome in life, and how each wave brings its own adventure, along with inescapable highs and lows. The film teaches audiences that among the waves, there is an ocean full of new chances to forgive, forget, grieve, love, and ultimately rebuild. 

8) Climax

This horror/drama takes place over the course of less than 12 hours, when a french dance troupe is drugged by one of their own members. By far one of the most disturbing films I have seen in a while, this film is terrifyingly raw, focusing on the tragedy of jealousy and betrayal. I simply could not pull my eyes away from this film, especially with its vibrant lighting, upbeat score, eye-catching costumes, and dramatic script. 

7) Midsommar

This psychological horror starring Florence Pugh follows Danni’s journey of grief after the unexpected death of her sister and parents. As she attempts to move on with her life, she travels with her boyfriend and his friends to a commune in Sweden to escape the drama of normal life. However, she is only in for a week of horror, gore, and blood shed, as not everything is as it seems. This film shows that even horror films can still be visually beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It shows the horror within the peaceful beauty of how the director depicts the set and theme, which has forever changed the horror genre. 

6) The Lighthouse 

This psychological horror tells the story of two lighthouse keepers stranded together on an island for months. Because of the character’s isolation from society, they begin to grow delusional over the weeks, as we follow them into descending madness. The black and white film, and 4:6 ratio creates an overwhelming feeling of isolation and paralyzing claustrophobia for viewers. 

5) The Florida Project

This film takes place in Florida, as it follows a single mom and her daughter trying to get by. The plot line is simple as it follows the two through their everyday life. It is a heart-wrenching story focusing on the realities of poverty and the lengths mothers will go to for their kids to have an exciting life, and to protect them from the dangers of the world.

4) Lady Bird

This coming of age film starring Sorcha Ronan follows a teenage girl approaching college, and her struggles of being in a lower class family in an upper class community, attending an upper class school. The story line mainly surrounds the main character’s relationship with her mother, as they attempt to navigate a healthy relationship amid the pressures of college. 

3) Everything Everywhere All At Once

This comedy/drama focuses on an unlikely hero who is set to save the multiverse from an interdimensional rupture. The film is inherently the silliest concepts, executed in the silliest way, leaving us disarmed and open enough that we are laughing at something, to then find ourselves emotional and vulnerable seconds later. 

2) Hereditary

This Ari Aster horror classic is simply one of the best films in all of horror, and one of the bests in A24. It focuses on a family grieving the recent loss of their grandmother, as her death soon reveals secrets about her past. Strange happenings begin to occur within the family causing more disdain and resentment amid the darkness that the family is unknowingly about to face. This is, in my opinion, one of the scariest, yet most beautiful films to be released in decades. A must watch for everyone, especially horror, thriller fans. 

1)Moonlight

This Oscar winning film focuses on Chiron, a young black man living in Miami, at different monumental points in his life. His childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. All three periods of time in Chiron’s life display his struggle with sexuality, racial injustice, and poverty. Yet another incredibly done, artistic, heart-wrenching A24 film, and out of all A24 films ever made, this one has to take the cake.