If you see that neon-gradient logo pop up, you already know you’re not about to watch a movie made by a committee. Finding A24 movies that define the studio is about identifying the films that gave this brand its identity: grimy textures, bold aspect ratios, visually authored directing, and a total refusal to play it safe. In 2026, A24 isn’t just a studio; it’s a shorthand for “pro-level craft.”
These A24 movies that define the studio are the ones that prioritize the director’s pulse over the box office numbers. We’ve avoided every A24 title we’ve mentioned in our previous 20+ lists—no Moonlight, no Hereditary, no Everything Everywhere All at Once, and no Midsommar. This is a fresh batch of 10 high-impact picks that show exactly how the studio uses cinematic standards to dominate the independent world. If you want to see the films that actually built the “A24 Vibe,” these are your essentials.
Best for: Cinephiles who want to see the evolution of indie cinema, high-craft visual identity, and films that prioritize directorial vision over mainstream formulas.
Common cinephile pain points this list solves: “Vibe-less” movies / Predictable plot structures / Flat digital cinematography / Wanting films that feel tactile and properly made.
Related Lists: The Best A24 Movies / Editor’s Picks: The Best Movies / Handpicked Movies Worth Watching / Quietly Awesome Films Worth Watching
What to watch for
When a movie “defines” A24, the magic is in the Textural Storytelling. Watch how these directors use specific film stocks, non-traditional aspect ratios, and surgical sound design to make you feel the environment. Notice the blocking—A24 films often use physical space to represent a character’s mental state, creating a visual subtext that rewards you for paying close attention to the frame.
10 A24 movies that define the studio
1. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Joe Talbot
Plot: A young man searches for a sense of belonging in the rapidly changing city of San Francisco, trying to reclaim the Victorian home his grandfather built.
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy) / VOD (Availability varies)
Why it’s a classic: It features breathtaking composition and color. Talbot uses slow-motion and symmetrical framing to turn gentrification into a mythic, visual epic. The surgical sound design and score make the city feel like a living, breathing character.
2. Saint Maud (2019) 🇬🇧
Director/Creator: Rose Glass
Plot: A pious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient, leading to a terrifying descent into religious mania.
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Where to Watch: Prime Video / MGM+ / Apple TV (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is psychological blocking at its most intense. Glass uses tight framing and unsettling sound cues to build a persistent sense of dread. The tonal control is surgical, moving from quiet drama to shocking horror with absolute confidence.
3. Red Rocket (2021) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Sean Baker
Plot: A washed-up porn star returns to his small Texas hometown, where his silver-tongued hustle disrupts the lives of everyone he encounters.
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: Shot on 16mm, it features visually authored naturalism. Baker uses a sun-baked color palette and handheld kineticism to capture the grimy energy of the Gulf Coast. The rhythmic editing and performance-driven directing make it feel raw and dangerously alive.
4. The Disaster Artist (2017) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: James Franco
Plot: The true story of the making of “The Room”—widely considered the worst movie ever made—and the bizarre relationship between its two leads.
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It is a meta-masterclass in tonal tightrope walking. The film balances comedy and tragedy by using surgical production design to recreate the “bad” filmmaking of the original. It’s a smart look at the obsession with craft, even when the talent isn’t there.
5. A Prayer Before Dawn (2017) 🇬🇧🇫🇷
Director/Creator: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Plot: An English boxer imprisoned in Thailand’s most notorious jail is forced to compete in Muay Thai tournaments to earn his freedom.
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is visceral, physical filmmaking. The action blocking in the prison fights is long-take and brutal, putting the viewer right in the sweat and blood. The sound design is immersive, relying on environmental noise to build a sense of total claustrophobia.
6. Lamb (2021) 🇮🇸🇸🇪🇵🇱
Director/Creator: Valdimar Jóhannsson
Plot: A childless couple in rural Iceland discovers a mysterious newborn on their farm, deciding to raise it as their own despite the dark consequences.
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10 (High craft-factor for 2026)
Where to Watch: Hulu / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It defines the “A24 Folk Horror” aesthetic. The film relies on atmospheric lighting and the massive Icelandic landscape to create dread. The blocking is patient and silent, using visual information to tell a surreal story without over-explaining the logic.
7. High Life (2018) 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧
Director/Creator: Claire Denis
Plot: A group of criminals sent on a deep-space mission toward a black hole deals with isolation, biological experiments, and the collapse of their community.
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10 (Cinephile favorite for its visual audacity)
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It features visually authored sci-fi minimalism. Denis uses grimy, tactile production design and abstract pacing to turn a space mission into a psychological nightmare. The surgical sound design and score by Tindersticks create a hypnotic, unsettling world.
8. It Comes at Night (2017) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Trey Edward Shults
Plot: A family hiding from a global pandemic in a remote forest home has their uneasy peace shattered by the arrival of another family seeking help.
IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is narrative economy and spatial tension at its peak. Shults uses architectural framing and a slow-crawling camera to make the house feel like a trap. The tonal control builds a level of paranoia that hit even harder in the years following its release.
9. The Souvenir (2019) 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Joanna Hogg
Plot: A young film student in the 1980s begins a complicated relationship with a charismatic but untrustworthy older man, struggling to find her artistic voice.
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: Hogg uses patient, pro-level blocking and static frames. The cinematography mimics the 16mm look of a student film, using naturalistic lighting and long scenes to build a lived-in authenticity. It is a masterclass in visual restraint and emotional subtext.
10. Funny Pages (2022) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Owen Kline (Produced by the Safdie Brothers)
Plot: A talented teenage cartoonist abandons his comfortable suburban life to pursue his art in the grimy, basement-dwelling underworld of independent comics.
IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It features the grimy visual texture that the Safdies made famous. Kline uses uncomfortable close-ups and low-key lighting to make the environment feel sticky and real. The rhythmic editing and awkward character designs are pure A24—bold, weird, and technically sharp.
What to watch next
Next category: Handpicked Movies Worth Watching (because once you’ve seen the films that defined A24, you’ll want to see the movies our editors chose for their absolute mastery of the craft).