Welcome back to my ranking of the 15 A24 films that I’ve logged on Letterboxd! This is the final part and features some of the best films I’ve ever seen. If you need a refresher, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. Now, let’s dive into Part 3!
4. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
What can I say about this film that hasn’t already been said? Innovative, captivating, soul crushing, and so damn beautiful. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu absolutely smashed their performances, drawing you in and keeping your attention throughout every second of this science fiction, comedy, drama, no one genre film. The Daniels (as Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan are known as) managed to write and direct one of the most important films of the 21st century on a 25 million dollar budget. This film is A24’s masterpiece and it deserved every damn award that it was given. If you haven’t seen Everything Everywhere All At Once, I am begging you to sit down and watch it.
Letterboxd ranking: 4.5/5
Causeway marked lead actress Jennifer Lawrence’s return to Hollywood in early 2022, starring as a veteran of the war in Afghanistan home in New Orleans after suffering a traumatic brain injury while on duty. The film follows Lawrence’s character, Lynsey, as she returns to live with her mother and attempts to build a new life for herself in her hometown. While experiencing car trouble, Lynsey meets mechanic James, played by Brian Tyree Henry, and the two become unlikely friends. The two reluctantly begin to open up to each other, though the film reveals that they both have secrets that they’re hesitant to tell the other.
A quieter film than most on this list, Causeway took my breath away when I watched it. Lawrence and Henry are brilliant in their roles, with Henry being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Causeway is the first feature film for director Lila Neugebauer and I’m excited to see what she tackles next. The film is intimate – you truly feel like a fly on the wall as you watch Lawrence and Henry trade quips and drink beer. If you’re looking for a film to quietly sink into, I highly recommend checking this one out on Apple TV+.
Letterboxd ranking: 4.5/5
Minari is a stunning film about the concept of the American Dream, immigration, and intergenerational relationships. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun, Minari follows a young family in the 1980s as they move from the West Coast to Arkansas in order to pursue farming. The film follows the family as they work and struggle to make ends meet while also facing racism in their new community and marital problems between the two leads.
Alan Kim, a child actor, was one of the breakout stars of the film for his portrayal of the playful youngest child of the family, David. Youn Yuh-jung, an esteemed South Korean actress, won the Academy Award for her performance as the grandmother of the family, Soonja. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. In total, the film won 54 awards throughout the 2020-2021 awards cycle.
In my opinion, each award was well deserved. I remember seeing the film in theaters and absolutely sobbing through the ending. It’s a beautiful film and a triumph for A24.
Letterboxd ranking: 5/5
You know those films that just grab a piece of your heart and never let it go? That’s me with The Florida Project. Written and directed by Sean Baker, The Florida Project follows Moonee, a young child living with her single mother in a rented by the week motel room near DisneyWorld. We primarily see the film through Moonee’s eyes, though we are treated to a few scenes from the manager of the motel, Bobby’s, (brilliantly played by Willem Dafoe) point of view.
This film is an analysis of the American class system. We see the wonder and magic of Disney intertwined with the poverty experienced by thousands of families just miles away from the park gates.
Moonee and her mother, Halley, are scraping by and mostly live on a diet of pizza and soda. Towards the end of the film, we see Halley become desperate to make money, choosing to participate in sex work. While I believe that sex work is work and that sex workers deserve to be protected at every turn, Baker shows us the harsh reality of Halley’s experience inviting men into the same room that she shares with Moonee in order to make a couple of hundred dollars. While Halley works, she puts Moonee into a bath and turns their radio on to prevent the child from overhearing anything. There’s a jarring scene during this sequence where one of Halley’s clients opens the bathroom door, despite Halley’s protests, only to shame Halley for her choices. This scene in particular has stuck with me since I first saw the film. We only see Moonee in this moment, happily playing in her bath and singing along to the radio, suddenly looking confused and scared as she freezes and stares at the man in the doorway. This is one of the scenes that shows us that Moonee is slowly losing her innocence while in her mother’s care. I won’t spoil much else about this film because I truly think that everyone should watch it. It’s heartbreaking and will stick with you for a long time afterward.
As mentioned earlier, esteemed actor Willem Dafoe is one of the leads and received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Moonee, played by Brooklynn Prince, has gone on to star in many other films, including Cocaine Bear. Director Baker went on to write and direct another A24 film, Red Rocket, starring Simon Rex.
The Florida Project is one of the best films in A24’s catalog and my personal favorite.
Letterboxd ranking: 5/5
We’ve reached the end of my A24 ranking! As a reminder these are just the A24 films that I’ve logged on Letterboxd. I’ve seen more and will continue to see more. Do you agree with my ranking? Is there an A24 film that I should watch next? Let me know in the comments!
Follow me on Letterboxd here.
poptalkwithrach 