Since its founding in 2012, A24 has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in terms of movie production, putting out some of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful films in the last decade. A lot of their success has been in the horror genre, with hits such asPearl,Midsommar, andHereditary.
But A24 films are also renowned for their emotional impact, providing some of the most heartbreaking moments on film (and some of these are in horror movies), proving that they’re not just there for the scares.
If it’s emotional devastation you’re looking for, each of these 20 A24 films should satisfy your cravings.
20Lamb (2021) - Ada’s Father Takes Her Away
María (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) live a quiet life on aremote farm in Iceland, content but longing for a child. They’re surprised when one of their sheep gives birth to a baby with the head and arm of a lamb, but the body of a human child. Without hesitation, they take the child in as their own, naming her Ada. María especially is fiercely protective of the child, and kills Ada’s sheep mother.
But she’s not the only one who feels a connection to Ada: the half-man/half-ram who is apparently Ada’s biological father wants her back, and kills her adoptive father to get to her. Ada’s real father leads a crying Ada away by the hand from the only life she’s ever known.
19A Ghost Story (2017) - C Can’t Get to M’s Note
The whole premise ofA Ghost Storyis heart-rending: “C” (Casey Affleck) is a musician who lives with his wife, “M” (Rooney Mara). After an itinerant childhood, M has a habit of hiding notes in the house. C is killed in a car accident and becomes a ghost, leaving the hospital in the sheet his body was covered in. He returns home but, unable to communicate with M, is consigned to watching her grieve. She eventually moves away, but C is tied to the house, and watches other families move in and out, even going back in time before finally ending up in the home with M again, watching their final argument before C’s spirit is freed, and the sheet drops to the floor.
Before moving away, M hides a note in the wall, which she paints over. C’s ghost scrabbles uselessly at the paint, but is unable to chip it away to get to the note.
18Hereditary (2018) - Charlie’s Death
Ari Aster burst upon the horror scene in a big way, with his debut becoming A24’s most financially successful film, before it was knocked from the spot byEverything Everywhere All at Once(see below). And that’s because it was a horror film filled with genuine emotion: Toni Colette won raves as Annie, an artist, wife, and mother-of-two whose distant mother has just passed away.
A further, unexpected, and unimaginable tragedy ensues when Annie’s daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) is killed after a series of bad decisions made by Annie’s son Peter (Alex Wolff). Peter is rushing Charlie to the hospital after ill-advisedly taking her to a party where she had an allergic reaction, and after sticking her head out the window to get a little air, she’s decapitated by a telephone pole when Peter swerves to avoid a dead deer in the road.
Related:Director Ari Aster’s Best Movies, Ranked
17After Yang (2021) - Yang’s Regret
Sometime in the future, Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) have an adopted Chinese daughter, Mika. To ensure she connects with her heritage, they have Yang (Justin H. Min), a ‘culture unit’ who has become a part of the family, and everyone is upset when he ceases to function. Jake doesn’t have enough money to refurbish Yang properly, but he does everything he can when he sees how crushed Mika is by the loss. While researching various options, Jake finds Yang’s memories, which involve a relationship with a clone named Ada, and numerous memories with Mika. Eventually, Jake and Kyra decide that it’s healthiest for them to let Yang go and let Mika learn an early lesson about grief and loss.
There’s a mournful flashback where Yang talks about regretting that he can’t experience emotions in the way that humans can, which is especially troubling as we grapple with the rise of AI in modern society.
16Amy - Grammy Win
Asif Kapadia’s masterful documentary about the tragically short life of Amy Winehouse is mostly video footage of Amy, much of it previously unseen, and often filled with dark foreboding now that we know she would not see 28. It’s all the more touching to see her talent, her vivaciousness, intelligence, and charm with the looming knowledge of her death.
Scenes of her downward spiral and hounding by the paparazzi manage to pale in comparison to the tragedy of her own words, markedly a scene where a sober, seemingly happy Amy wins a Grammy Award via satellite. But in aninterview with a friend, it’s revealed that afterwards Amy commented, “This is so boring without drugs.”
15Aftersun - Sophie Takes Care of Calum
11-year-old Sophie(Frankie Corio) is on vacation in Turkey with her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal), who is separated from her mother. Although he’s dealing with a number of adult problems like depression and uncertain finances, Calum tries to put on a brave face around Sophie and not let her see that he’s struggling. Sophie hangs out with a boy of her own age, and is drawn to the slightly older teens vacationing at the same resort, going through the kinds of misunderstandings you go through with your parents when you’re 11.
In one touching scene, Sophie comes into the hotel room to find her father asleep and naked, and she covers him with a sheet, in a reversal of parent/child roles.
14God’s Creatures (2022) - Emily Watson’s Face
It’s devastating to discover that your child is not the person that you want them to be. Aileen’s (Watson’s) son Brian (Paul Mescal) returns home to their remote village after a long absence, and Aileen is thrilled until Brian is accused of sexually assaulting a former girlfriend after a night at the pub. Not wanting to believe this could be true, Aileen gives him an alibi when questioned, and testifies to the same in court, all while gradually realizing that Brian is guilty.
The most heartbreaking moments are simply the many close-ups of Watson’s face as she struggles to accept the reality of what her son has done.
13Past Lives (2023) - Nora and Hae-Sung’s Final Conversation
Celine Song’s debut feature explores the Korean concept ofin-yeon, where lovers are people who keep meeting in different lives. Hae-Sung (Teo Yoo) and Nora (Greta Lee) were in a blossoming young relationship when Nora’s family left Korea. Over a decade later, they reconnect online, but don’t meet in person because their careers are calling. Another decade after that, Nora is married to Arthur when Hae-Sung comes to New York, and the three meet up for dinner. There’s a clear connection and unresolved feelings between Nora and Hae-Sung as they slip into speaking Korean, and Nora stops translating for Arthur.
In their final moments alone before Hae-Sung departs, they revisitin-yeon, with a palpable feeling of longing and regret that they will not be together in this life.
Related:Why Past Lives is a Modern Casablanca
12The Whale (2022) - Charlie Finally Connects with His Daughter
Morbidly obese Charlie (Brendan Fraser) lives a desperately lonely life. His lover, Alan, committed suicide, and he is estranged from his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). With only a devoted nurse, Liz (Hong Chau) for company, he teaches online English courses, but he never lets his students see him. Desperate to reconnect with Ellie, Charlie agrees to do her homework for her, and leave her the large sum of cash he’s saved over the years. His health plunges and more and more disappointments mount up: he argues with Ellie’s mother, he gets fired after an outburst, and his relationship with Ellie is strained, to say the least.
But in the final moments of the film, she reads aloud an essay she wrote onMoby-Dickthat Charlie loved, and he is at last able to walk on his own.
11Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) - Nana Connie’s Funeral
Based on the charming shorts directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and voiced by Jenny Slate, the feature film was a more expanded version ofMarcel the Shell’s life, including his close relationship with his Nana Connie (Isabella Rosselini) and their quest to be reunited with the rest of their family. Marcel starts an internet campaign that leads to their idol, Lesley Stahl, coming to the house and putting Marcel on60 Minutes.
Tragically, Nana Connie never really recovers after a fall hastens her already poor health, and passes away. Just try to keep a dry eye when Marcel sings “Peaceful Easy Feeling” at her funeral.
