If you’re a cinephile, seeing that rainbow-tinted logo at the start of a film usually means you’re about to watch something that actually took a risk. Finding **the best A24 movies** isn’t about looking for the biggest box office hits; it’s about finding the films that prioritized the director’s vision over a committee’s notes. In 2026, A24 has officially become the gold standard for “authored” cinema—the place where blocking, sound design, and unconventional lighting are the stars of the show.
This list of **the best A24 movies** focuses on the technical masterpieces and emotional heavy-hitters that define the studio’s DNA. We have carefully scoured our previous lists to ensure there are **zero repeats**—no *Midsommar*, no *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, and no *Uncut Gems* here. These are 10 fresh, high-craft picks that represent the surgical precision and visual storytelling that turned A24 into a cultural powerhouse. Let’s get into the films that every serious viewer needs to have on their shelf.
Best for: Cinephiles who crave **visually authored filmmaking**, unique tonal experiments, and high-bitrate streaming quality with a “director-first” feel.
Common cinephile pain points this list solves: Decision paralysis in a massive library / Wasting time on “cookie-cutter” plots / Flat, uninspired digital cinematography / Wanting movies that reward frame-by-frame study.
Related Lists: Editor’s Picks: The Best Movies / Handpicked Movies Worth Watching / Movies That Set the Standards in Cinema / Great Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen
What to watch for
When you dive into **top-rated A24 films**, pay attention to the **Visual Language**. A24 directors often use specific aspect ratios, color palettes, and lens choices to build a world before a single line of dialogue is spoken. Look for the **surgical sound design**—the way these films use environmental noise and silence to create a physical reaction in the audience. That’s the pro-level craft that separates these from standard studio fare.
10 best A24 movies
1. Moonlight (2016) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Barry Jenkins
Plot: A young man deals with his dysfunctional home life and struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in Miami, told across three defining chapters of his life.
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy) / VOD (Availability varies)
Why it’s a classic: It is **the best A24 movie** for fans of expressive color and lighting. Jenkins uses three distinct color palettes to represent the three stages of the protagonist’s life. The **surgical blocking** in the quietest scenes makes the unspoken emotional tension feel heavy and visceral.
2. Hereditary (2018) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Ari Aster
Plot: Following the death of their secretive grandmother, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences that reveal a terrifying ancestral legacy.
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is **dollhouse blocking** at its most terrifying. Aster uses a slow-moving, observant camera and wide shots to make the audience feel like they are watching a miniature world they can’t control. The **sound design**—specifically the high-frequency “clicks”—builds a persistent sense of psychological dread.
3. First Reformed (2017) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Paul Schrader
Plot: A priest of a small historical church in upstate New York spirals into a crisis of faith and environmental despair after a meeting with a radical activist.
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It features **surgical technical restraint**. Schrader uses a static, 4:3 aspect ratio and “transcendental” blocking—where the camera rarely moves—to force the audience to sit with the character’s internal pressure. It is a masterclass in **composition and thematic focus**.
4. The Green Knight (2021) 🇺🇸🇮🇪
Director/Creator: David Lowery
Plot: A headstrong nephew of King Arthur embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men.
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It is **visual poetry as a feature film**. Lowery uses **atmospheric lighting** and incredible production scale to turn a mythic poem into a tactile, grimy experience. The **rhythmic editing** and use of scale make the journey feel both epic and claustrophobically personal.
5. Aftersun (2022) 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Charlotte Wells
Plot: Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years ago, trying to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Where to Watch: Hulu / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: Wells uses **textural visual storytelling**, blending 35mm film with grainy MiniDV footage to mirror the fragmentation of memory. The **blocking in the hotel room** is used to show the growing emotional distance and the private pain of the characters in a way that is standard-setting for 2026 indie cinema.
6. The Farewell (2019) 🇺🇸🇨🇳
Director/Creator: Lulu Wang
Plot: A Chinese-American family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a fake wedding to gather before she dies.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is **pro-level ensemble blocking**. Wang uses wide, static shots to capture the whole family in the frame, showing the individual reactions and the collective weight of the lie. The **surgical tonal control** keeps the movie from becoming a melodrama, favoring instead a quiet, authentic realism.
7. Pearl (2022) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Ti West
Plot: Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her mother, while dreaming of a glamorous life as a star.
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It is **visually authored Technicolor horror**. West uses a hyper-saturated, “Golden Age of Hollywood” color palette and **symmetrical composition** to create a sharp contrast with the story’s growing violence. The final long-take monologue is a masterclass in **performance-driven directing**.
8. Swiss Army Man (2016) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Daniel Kwan / Daniel Scheinert
Plot: A hopeless man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body, and together they go on a surreal journey to get home using the body’s many “useful” functions.
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It features **inventive practical resourcefulness**. The “Daniels” use **creative blocking** and DIY visual effects to make a bizarre premise feel emotionally resonant. The **sound design**—which is primarily an a cappella score—builds an immersive, handmade world that is completely unique.
9. Climax (2018) 🇫🇷
Director/Creator: Gaspar Noé
Plot: A group of dancers gathers in a remote rehearsal hall to celebrate, but the night turns into a hallucinatory nightmare when they realize their sangria has been spiked with LSD.
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Where to Watch: VOD (Availability varies) / Apple TV (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: It is a **technical achievement in movement**. The film relies on **massive long-takes** and kinetic camera work that weaves through the chaotic geography of the hall. The **surgical sound design** and pounding soundtrack create a level of physical immersion that makes the viewer feel the characters’ disorientation.
10. Waves (2019) 🇺🇸
Director/Creator: Trey Edward Shults
Plot: The epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family—led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Where to Watch: Max / Prime Video (Rent/Buy)
Why it’s a classic: This is **visually authored sensory cinema**. Shults uses **changing aspect ratios and aggressive lighting shifts** to reflect the characters’ shifting mental states. The **surgical sound design** and 360-degree camera spins create a high-energy rhythm that rewards viewers who love **technical audacity**.
What to watch next
Next category: Handpicked Movies Worth Watching (because once you’ve cleared the **best A24 films**, you’ll want to find the movies that offer that same level of auteur-driven brilliance).