We here at Book Squad Goals have covered a lot of A24 content in our day. Next week, we’re keeping up the trend by covering A24’s latest film The Green Knight. It seems like A24 movies get a lot of buzz around them, no matter what they’re about or who’s in them. One thing’s for sure with A24. You’re probably going to see someone catch fire, and there’s going to be some sad music. Either that or there’s going to be a blinged out Furby necklace. That’s just the A24 aesthetic, everyone.

But what are the best A24 movies? I’m here to tell you! Here are the top 10 best A24 movies. We’re going to count down from 10 to 1. Enjoy!

Oh, and this will be spoiler free, so feel free to read and add these movies to your list!

10. First Reformed

Grab your Pepto Bismol and your whiskey, because First Reformed, written and directed by Paul Schrader, is first on this list. It’s probably a sin for me to include a First Reformed pic that cuts off Ethan Hawke’s head right when we’re in the middle of a Hawkeissance, but here we are. I will atone later. If you want an in-depth review of this movie, Kelli and I blogged about it back when it came out, so go check that out.

Three years later, this movie is still doing it for me, so it makes it on the list at the #10 spot.

9. The Bling Ring

The Bling Ring, directed by Sofia Coppola, is a highly underrated work of cinematic artistry. This film is also Emma Watson’s finest work as an actress. She peaked with The Bling Ring, and she hasn’t been able to replicate this level of acting since. Sorry to my Emma Watson Stans. As I’ve said many times on the podcast, Emma Watson seems like a wonderful person, but her acting abilities are very… limited.

But there’s so much more to this movie than Emma Watson’s brilliant performance. This is a Sofia Coppola movie, so obviously it’s nice to look at. But this movie also examines contemporary socialite/celebrity culture, social media, and capitalism. I think a lot of people think this movie is shallow just because the characters are shallow, but there’s more happening here, I promise. Check it out.

8. The Green Knight

I bet you were wondering if The Green Knight was going to make this list. The answer is YES! Here it is at #8. This movie is another one that’s just stunning. And yes, we do get a person set on fire in this one, so thanks for that, A24. Additionally, how can we not include a movie starring my loves Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander? Dev Patel is so good in this movie. A lot of the movie is just Dev traveling, looking at things, and reacting. With his face. Acting. It takes a special kind of actor to carry a movie like this and keep it interesting. For more of my thoughts on this, our podcast episode is coming out soon!

7. Slow West

When I sat down to watch this movie, I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting to love it. First of all, I’m not really big on Westerns. I think they’re boring. And a movie called Slow West? Is it going to be a Western, but even slower? Double boring! But well, I was wrong. I hate to sound like a broken record, but here’s another movie I loved because it LOOKED REALLY GOOD. And I’m not just talking about Michael Fassbender, although he looked really good too. I mean the movie is beautiful. The story is interesting and definitely not your typical Western fare. Also? This movie is so short! I love a good short movie. Makes me want to just start it over again and watch it from the beginning as soon as it’s over. Well, not really. But almost! For Michael Fassbender.

6. Room

I’ll admit I have a soft spot for Room in part because my brother loved it so much. But this is also just a really great movie with stellar performances from (of course) Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, and yes, I can’t forget Seamus the dog. The goodest dog to ever appear on screen. You see, throughout the whole movie, Jack is really excited about seeing a dog. And Seamus gets hyped up a lot, so in my head, I was thinking, “When Seamus shows up, this better be the best damn dog I’ve ever seen.” And you know what? He totally was. This movie gets five stars for Seamus alone. This is why they don’t allow me to do movie reviews.

5. Under the Skin

Heck yeah, Scarlett Johansson is on this list too. And yes, I would argue this is one of her best performances. Are you seeing another pattern here? It seems like a lot of A24 films feature actors who are doing some of their best (if not their best) work. I absolutely love how strange and disturbing Under the Skin is, and I love Scarlett Johansson as a sexy, seductive, creepy van-driving alien.

If you’ve read the novel Under the Skin by Michel Faber, you might be saying to yourself, “You know, the film is really nothing like the book.” Okay, know-it-all. You’re totally right. Under the Skin the movie seems to be examining rape culture and gender identity and sex/power. Meanwhile, the book is more about the environment and is sort of a pro-vegetarian sci-fi novel (which I am totally here for, by the way… I think we should all stop eating meat, but I’ll save that for another blog I guess). But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The fact that this movie takes a similar premise and uses it to go in a totally different direction thematically is actually part of the reason it works so well. So there.

4. The Witch

Here it is. The Witch. The film that launched Anya Taylor-Joy’s career. This is an absolutely stunning and original horror film that I think really gets to the heart of what A24 horror is supposed to feel like. It’s a slow burn, but it never feels boring, because the tension keeps building, and the sense of dread is always there, bubbling beneath the surface until it explodes. This movie was one that I could not stop talking about after I finished watching it. There’s so much to unpack here. I love it.

3. Moonlight

Moonlight. You know this stunning (yes, it’s beautiful. I told you there was a pattern) Academy Award-winning film directed by Barry Jenkins had to be on this list. And you knew I had to include a picture of the scene that probably won Mahershala Ali his Oscar. This is such an incredibly moving film, and while some of the movies on this list aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, I would recommend Moonlight to EVERYONE. Like, seriously, if you don’t like this movie, you might be a bad person. I said what I said.

2. Hereditary

I can’t even with this movie. I love it so much. And a lot of the reason this one is so high on my list is admittedly personal. While The Witch is a really amazing work of horror and is probably closer to being a perfect film, Hereditary is more of the kind of horror that affects me personally. This is the horror that gets under my skin. There are images in this movie that still disturb me when I think of them. On top of that, you’ve got Toni Collette giving the performance of her life. The fact that she wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar for this movie is truly a crime.

I’m not going to give away anything about this movie, because if you haven’t seen it, YOU SHOULD SEE IT, and you should know as little about it as possible. But I will tell you that someone does get caught on fire in this one. And if you do want to read a full-spoiler review, we did write a blog about this one.

1. Ex Machina

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is there such a thing as a perfect movie?” This is it. Here it is. Ex Machina is hands down the best A24 movie, and if you haven’t seen it yet, go do it. You’ll love it. I know Alicia Vikander won an Oscar for her work in The Danish Girl, but I like to pretend that she really got her Oscar for this movie. Plus, you’ve got Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson. And this movie was written and directed by the amazing Alex Garland, whom I love. And guess what? This movie is also really beautiful. I can’t help myself. I love pretty things.

So there you have it. That’s the list. If you disagree, start your own blog. Looking forward to sharing our thoughts on The Green Knight with you next week!