Over time, A24 has become a concept synonymous with distinctly tasteful cinema. The then-indie studio has now become a major player within the echelons of Hollywood’s power circles, having consolidated its position as a worthy contender with Academy Award-winning films such as Moonlight And Minari. Despite being known for its author-based approach to indie films, A24 has a wide-ranging filmography, with many of its titles in the science fiction genre. Here are some of A24’s best Sci-Fi movies, which will leave you speechless.
10 Causeway (2022)
Lila Neugebauers Elevated road depicts the tragic life of an American soldier, Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence), who suffers a traumatic brain injury while serving in Afghanistan. Once Lynsey is sent back to New Orleans, she finds it hard to get on with life and quietly longs for reassignment. Elevated road intricately fuses slice-of-life and science fiction, to give new meaning to human interaction and the effect technology has on our daily lives.
9 It Comes at Night (2017)
Faced with an apocalyptic threat, a family finds a safe haven in a desolate home. This family harmony is shattered by the arrival of another family, forced to share a limited supply of resources, against the background of the end of the world.
8 Under the Skin (2013)
Under the skin works like a fusion of a road movie, mixed with a healthy dose of science fiction. The plot sees a mysterious alien (Scarlett Johansson) disguised as a beautiful woman who targets young men by inviting them into her van and eventually sending them to another dimension where they are brutally consumed. Under the skin is a horribly creepy watch that terrifies you while also asking pertinent, existential questions.
7 White Noise (2022)
Directed by Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, Frances Ha), White noise is a satirical look at the morality of a man who is tasked with facing the consequences of a traumatic event. The plot follows Jack Gladney (Adam Driver), a professor of Hitler studies, and his riddle involving a chemical spill from a train car that releases an airborne toxin into the environment, which could force Gladney to evacuate with his eccentric family. White noise delivers light-hearted comedy mixed with a splash of sci-fi, garnished with the endearing charm of Adam Driver.
6 After Yang (2021)
A24
When Jake’s daughter’s android companion, Yang, malfunctions, Jake sets out to have the robot repaired. In the process, he realizes the other areas of his life that also need attention. What begins as a sci-fi world slowly revolves into a world born of human intervention and human emotion. After Yang is based on a Japanese story that exudes traditional family values, with the addition of Android technology, giving the film a new, sci-fi body with an old-fashioned heart.
5 Men (2022)
From the mind of Alex Garland (Ex Machina, destruction), comes Gentlemen, a terrifying tale of horror dressed within the parameters of Sci-fi. Equivalent to Na Yang, Men, has the physical structure of a horror movie but layered with a thick layer of science fiction on top. The film’s plot revolves around a woman named Harper who retreats to the British countryside to deal with a personal tragedy. Soon, Harper’s humble sense of paranoia turns into full-blown nightmares, sending her world into a spiral of madness.
4 Killing a Sacred Deer (2017)
The interesting part about that of Yorgos Lanthimos Killing a sacred deer is that the film changes meaning when viewed from different angles, reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. Viewed from one angle, the film can be seen as a revenge drama; another angle might position it as a horror movie with unknown motifs and elements. Whatever the film’s inner lifeblood, what remains constant is the cool and pristinely cold, scientific world the film is wrapped in.
3 Ex Machina (2014)
Ex Machine is one of the best rogue AI movies ever. Alex Garland uses human emotion to lay the cornerstone of the film. The film follows a young programmer who is invited to a retreat with his company’s CEO, where he is given the opportunity to interact with a highly advanced artificial robot housed in the body of a beautiful woman. The young programmer becomes mesmerized by the robot and crosses a number of deadly boundaries from which there is no way out. In Ex Machina, Garland miraculously juxtaposes the similarities and differences that AI shares with its creator.
2 The Lobster (2015)
Another Yorgos Lanthimos masterpiece on the list is The lobster. The film has a dystopian atmosphere and is set somewhere in the near future, where single people are sent to a hotel where they must find a partner within 45 days, or be turned into an animal of their choice. The film has moments of extreme hilarity and at the same time brutally dark shades of bitterness.
1 Everything everywhere at once (2022)
Arguably one of the best films to come out of the US let alone A24 is the Daniels’ Everything everywhere at once. As the title suggests, the movie is a roller coaster ride that ends on a metaphysical level with explanations of different worlds inhabited by different personalities of the same person. Many consider the film a masterpiece in all things wacky and absurd, taking the viewer on a free journey through many dimensions.
