Over the past decade, A24 has grown from an obscure distributor into a beloved institution in independent film. For cinephiles the world over, the A24 name is synonymous with quality and creativity, almost as much of a draw as the directors and actors they feature. The Film Twitter following it’s amassed may be tiresome in its uncritical devotion, but there’s no denying the sheer range of artistic visions A24 has platformed.
A24 may be most associated with the blossoming of so-called “elevated horror”: artsy, slow-burn horror movies like The Witch or Hereditary that favor atmosphere and symbolism over jump scares. But the distributor has been just as prolific making coming-of-age movies, as well; indeed, it’s these movies that have earned the most critical acclaim and awards attention. Directed by established auteurs and fresh new voices alike, A24 coming-of-age films are sometimes light, sometimes tragic, but always truthful. Here are the seven best bildungsroman narratives the company has to offer.
Please note that, while these are listed as A24 movies for the sake of categorization, credit should go first and foremost to the directors rather than the distributor.
7. mid90s (2018)
In 2017 and 2018, A24 released three coming-of-age movies directed by comic actors, and all three of them will appear on this list. mid90s may not be as confident or daring as #4 or #3, but it’s still a strong first effort from Jonah Hill, who has clear (but not blind) affection for his movie’s setting. The cultural signifiers come fast and furious, with skateboards, Ren and Stimpy t-shirts, and a soundtrack full of Pixies and Nirvana reinforcing the time (1996) and place (Southern California). But while young Stevie (Sunny Suljic) finds refuge and friendship in a sun-baked skate park, he also finds a hidden reckless streak, as well as some unvarnished, era-appropriate casual bigotry. “Don’t thank people, they’ll think you’re gay,” warns one of Stevie’s new friends. Still, there’s a warmth and a sensitivity to mid90s, conveyed through soulful performances and clear-blue-sky musical contributions from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. It may be the sweetest movie ever made with a prominent character called “Fuckshit.”
6. 20th Century Women (2016)
Mike Mills’ 2010 breakout, Beginners, was a fictionalized version of his relationship with his father, who came out as gay late in life. Six years later, Mills returned with 20th Century Women, inspired by his other parent, as well as some of the other characters who made his life so interesting. If Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), Mills’ teenage stand-in, is the least interesting part of the movie, that’s not much of a problem. As the title suggests, 20th Century Women is all about the women who shaped young Jamie’s life, from his headstrong single mother Dorothea (Annette Bening) to the tenants in the Santa Barbara boarding house she runs. Abbie (Greta Gerwig) inspires an interest in feminism (in the most memorable scene, she demands the whole dinner table talk about menstruation), and the lovely, aloof Julie (Elle Fanning) is Jamie’s first crush. It’s a warm, affectionate depiction of a singular upbringing, written with specificity and wit.
5. American Honey (2016)
Although American Honey is set in the present day, there’s something faintly anachronistic about Andrea Arnold’s sprawling coming-of-age drama. Its loose road trip narrative and preoccupation with dingy Americana bring to mind movies like Easy Rider or Paris, Texas; the lyrical imagery and golden-hour glow of the cinematography recall early Terrence Malick; it focuses on poor teenagers traveling the heartland selling magazine subscriptions, which even they know is outdated. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the way swaths of America seem frozen in time, but Arnold might just recognize what makes American Honey timeless. Teenagers will always dream of a glorious escape, especially disadvantaged teens like Star (a breakout Sasha Lane); if they’re lucky enough to reach it, they’ll find a world that’s thrillingly different in some ways and disappointingly familiar in others. But whether one can escape the rat race or dirtbag boyfriends, there’s still solace to be found in friendship, nature, and freedom.
4. Eighth Grade (2018)
Most coming-of-age films are at least semi-autobiographical, but Bo Burnham made one of the decade’s best by going in the opposite direction. Rather than drawing on his own experiences and setting Eighth Grade in a Massachusetts Catholic school circa 2003, he tells the story of an anxious teenage girl in the present day. Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher, a revelation) is paralyzed with insecurity and self-doubt, making motivational YouTube videos more for her own benefit than for her miniscule following. Burnham perfectly captures the way Gen Z talks, as well as how social media transformed the teenage experience, but he’s keen enough to understand that middle school is grotesque with or without smartphones. A pool party, shot in slow-motion and set to the menacing throb of Anna Meredith’s “Nautilus,” is as funny as it is nerve-wracking. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes scary, but always true, Eighth Grade is a triumph of empathy.
3. Lady Bird (2017)
When Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, Lady Bird, arrived in 2017, it was hailed as an instant classic, earning five Oscar nominations and expanding A24’s profile even further after its triumphant 2016. A lot may have changed over the course of five years, but Lady Bird still holds up: in fact, it’s nearly flawless, a coming-of-age movie of novelistic detail and immaculate craft. Gerwig displays control and mastery that’s staggering for a debut; every aspect of the movie, from the lived-in production design down to the deceptively precise editing, is just as it should be. The relationship between stubborn teenager Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and her prickly mother (Laurie Metcalf) could have been exhausting were it not for Gerwig’s specific, non-judgmental writing, which refuses to downplay either character’s perspective. And one can take their pick of memorable lines and moments: there’s Lady Bird jumping out of a moving car, “Isn’t it the same thing, love and attention?”, “It’s the titular role!”, and that final phone call home.
2. The Florida Project (2017)
So much could have gone wrong. A movie about a desperately poor young girl living in a shabby tourist trap motel a stone’s throw from Disney World, The Florida Project needed to strike a perfect balance between heartwarming childhood bliss and devastating social realism. The slightest miscalculation would result in a soupy, mawkish mess. Consider how poorly Beasts of the Southern Wild has aged. But Sean Baker is too skilled and empathetic a director to let things devolve into cloying Sundance bait or clumsy misery porn. Tangerine showed that he had a deft hand with wringing humor and pathos out of life experiences he himself hadn’t experienced, as well as getting great performances out of first-time actors; The Florida Project is even better. It helps that he has the great Willem Dafoe on hand: as the frazzled-but-protective owner of the motel, he gives one of the best performances of his career. But it’s young Brooklynn Prince who lingers after the movie’s over; her performance as Moonee embodies the joy of childhood, and the agony of watching that childhood slip away.
1. Moonlight (2016)
The story of A24 can be divided into two eras: before Moonlight and after Moonlight. Before Moonlight, A24 was a respected indie distributor, with acclaimed films such as Ex Machina and The Witch, but ultimately just one of many other indie companies. After Moonlight received rapturous acclaim and a Best Picture win, with an infamously botched announcement, A24’s position as the heart of independent cinema was secure. It’s only right that it made its name on such a lyrical, beautiful coming-of-age story. Barry Jenkins’ three-part story about a Black boy growing up and struggling with his sexual identity brings a fresh, poetic perspective to a genre that has long been dominated by white, heterosexual voices. The film is set in poverty-stricken Miami, and deals frankly with issues of abuse, addiction, and homophobia, but like The Florida Project, Moonlight never wallows. There’s more to Chiron than the terrible things that happen to him, just as there’s more to Juan (Mahershala Ali) than the fact that he’s a drug dealer. There’s tenderness and humanity to almost every character: redemption is possible, wounds can heal, and lonely young men can find intimacy and peace on a moonlit beach with the boy they love.