Double Feature: Two Underrated A24 Films
A24 goes mainstream, two vastly different coming of age films, and some bonus content
Introducing a new format
Hey all, I always wanted this blog to be pretty freeform, which means experimenting with various formats every once in awhile. Or maybe I’m just making excuses for not putting anything out for two months. Whatever it is, I always knew this project had the potential to be a little all over the place. What I can tell you is this particular format is something I’ve thought about from the inception.
The “double feature” was a theatrical trend that originated in the early 20th century in which two movies would be shown back to back for the price of one ticket. I first learned of this trend after watching Grindhouse (directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez), an homage to the theaters in the 70’s that would show low budget horror films and B-movies as double features. I thought that this would be great inspiration for the newsletter to discuss two movies that are tangentially related, either in theme, director, mood, or subject matter.
This certainly won’t be the only format this blog will take but it’s an attempt to add some structure into this project and hopefully help readers find movies to watch that are connected by some type of theme. If I think about it for long enough, I tend to notice that there are way more similarities within different films than meets the eye, and this format is an exercise in recognizing that. For example, it wasn’t until after I decided on these two films that I realized both of them were scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, both star Alexa Demie (Maddy from Euphoria) and Lucas Hedges (in almost everything these days), and both are coming of age films (another genre I like that my friends make fun of me for). It’s crazy to think of all the commonalities and parallels in seemingly unrelated films and the more I think of it, the title of this post could have centered on any of those elements. The first post in this series is about A24 titles that deserve more attention. Given their vast and growing library, I can see this being part 1 of many.
A24: the Disney of indie film?
Everyone who knows me well knows I love A24 movies. I’m definitely not alone in this as many of my friends also do. A few weeks ago, one of my friends visiting from San Francisco even showed up to my apartment wearing an A24 hat. When I asked him about it he shyly turned away. “It’s for my girlfriend”, he said, as if not wanting to be labelled as a die hard A24 fan. Ok, maybe I’m projecting a little bit as my love for their movies has become somewhat of a meme among my friends.
The punchline of the joke is probably along the lines of being an A24 stan signaled that you were “in before everyone else”. It was the cool kids club and it became, and still is, very cult-like. And why wouldn’t it be? They have exclusive branded merch that sells out very quickly, great community engagement, and they know who their target audience is. Most importantly, they make really good movies. At some point, though, saying A24 is your favorite film studio became cliché. The novelty of finding the new hipster film that you swear everyone will be talking about in two weeks wore off as their films became more mainstream. What was once a little known distribution company has turned into a fully fledged production house. They’ve found product-market-fit and their success hasn’t gone unnoticed, recently raising $225 million in equity at a $2.5 billion valuation.
Regardless of labels, A24 has almost single-handedly proved indie film has a place in Hollywood. They’ve shown time and time again that you don’t need to make franchise films in order to have a box office success. They’ve made a name for themselves due to many reasons but the main ones I’ve outlined below.
Curation as its brand
When you’re watching a trailer and you see the A24 logo appear on the screen, you know exactly what type of movie to expect. There’s a certain “feeling” to each film even though the plots vary. Since they’ve garnered a loyal audience base, they don’t try to make films for everyone (many of their films have relatively low audience scores). They have a notoriously hands-off team that lets filmmakers reign free and make the director’s cut. In return, filmgoers who like the brand expect a certain level of quality and ambiance that come out of their end products. Searching their catalog has become a reliable way to pick out what movie to watch if you’re in the mood for something quirky or atypical.
Creation of an ecosystem
The below image was purportedly originally drawn by Walt Disney on a napkin to lay out the groundwork for their growth engine. It’s the reason why they’ve been able to create a flywheel-like business model and why they currently dominate the industry.
While A24 doesn’t have quite as extensive of an ecosystem as Disney (nor do they have to to maintain success), the same principles hold true for their business model. Rather than focusing their growth engine on recycling characters and IP (most of their films aren’t suitable for sequels), they instead focus it on community. Everything they do is geared towards growing their loyal audience base. They have a podcast in which they invite creators and talent to come on the show and talk about their films, they have limited edition merch, they have a magazine, and they have a members only “all-access pass” that you can buy a subscription into (funny enough, it doesn’t get you access to their films). The goal of all of this is to grow their audience base and word of mouth reach, not necessarily the value of their IP.
Ability to adapt quickly
The last trait is important for all businesses but is a lot easier said than done. I wrote previously about how the industry faced a cataclysmic shift as streaming disrupted traditional distribution models. Many companies either went under or were folded into a larger aggregator. A24, funny enough, started as a distribution company, meaning they didn’t actually make any of their films. They went to film festivals and acquired the rights to distribute films and put up risky “minimum guarantees” so that if a film underperformed, they were on the hook for it. That also meant they were on the hook for advertising spend to get the films seen in theaters (they tend to focus on social media marketing instead of TV spots, a much more efficient use of dollars per ad impression for the millennial and Gen Z demographic).
While the title of this post refers to “underrated” A24 films, the two mentioned are actually highly reviewed, and a more accurate description would be underappreciated. Compared to films like Uncut Gems and Moonlight, these two titles have relatively low viewership (based on Letterboxd data). I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and if you’ve seen them before, feel free to drop me a line and let me know your thoughts!
Mid90s (2018, directed by Jonah Hill)
For anyone born in the 90s playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 on the GameCube and listening to Blitzkreig Bop by the Ramones, this movie brings a huge wave of nostalgia. The soundtrack to that videogame is etched into my mind forever. I grew up in the San Diego area, in the same town where Tony Hawk was born and raised (Carlsbad), and the skating culture was seemingly omnipresent. However, it wasn’t until I moved to New Jersey in 7th grade that I bought my first skateboard. I was embarrassingly bad and grew out of it quickly. Today, it’s definitively not my thing and the aspects of being a “skater” that I initially found attractive are the same ones that make me cringe when looking back (or walking through Washington Square Park). The counterculture, rebellion, and a sense of belonging were all relevant to me as a preteen who just lost his childhood friends and was looking to make new ones. Now that I’ve grown out of that phase of my life, it’s easy to look back and laugh at that period of time as one that I can’t believe I went through.
Mid90s doesn’t appear to be autobiographical, yet it’s Jonah Hill’s testament to growing up and finding your people. While the writing and script aren’t perfect, the acting surprisingly more than makes up for the shortfalls, a testament to Jonah Hill’s directing debut (many of the actors were professional skateboarders and had never acted before). Many of these characters are complex and imperfect. Yet most of the discussion is around how their backgrounds and environment shape who they are. The main character Stevie (played by Sunny Suljic) grew up being bullied by his anti-social older brother Ian (Lucas Hedges). They were raised by a single mom and any familial trauma that happened before is left offscreen. One by one, we find out about the troubles each character is experiencing outside of the skate shop. Mid90s is ultimately about finding family in your friends.
Waves (2019, directed by Trey Edward Schults)
The soundtrack to this film is a dream for most millennials who grew up liking hip hop and alt rock. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film that’s featured such a diverse range of artists I like. Some of them include Kendrick, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, Kid Cudi, and Tame Impala. In a way, there are many parts of this film that are shot like a music video. Sequences that are overlaid with large parts of a particular song. The experimental camera movements, lighting, and strong use of color all contribute heavily to the film as well.
To take a step back, this film is heavy. Like, Manchester by the Sea heavy. It’s about a tragedy that changes a family forever. In a way, this film is two films in one. The first half is intense, frenetic, and almost unbearable to watch at times. The second half follows a different main character, and changes perspective. The dizzying camera cuts start to slowly become more steady, and the aspect ratio also changes at various points in the film. Overall, I’d say this film leans a little experimental. But in a tactful and creative way instead of being too avant garde. My first impression was that it was an experience, but I probably didn’t really like the film that much. Over the course of the week, I found myself thinking about it at random points throughout the day. Like many serious and “hard topic” films, this film scores relatively low on the “entertainment” scale but you certainly reflect on it long after the credits roll. It’s ultimately a film about grief, loss, and responsibility.
I came out of this film knowing that Trey Edward Schultz is the real deal. His prior two films, It Comes at Night and Krisha, put him on the map of young auteur writer-directors looking to cement their own brands (Ari Aster, Emma Seligman, and Cooper Raiff also come to mind). But it was Krisha (starring his real life aunt) that’s the most similar to this film with its themes of self destruction, drug abuse, and overall mental unease. Schultz has a knack for exploring characters when they are most vulnerable and at the deepest depths of despair. It’s not pretty and this film is certainly not an easy watch. But I’ve always held the believe that watching sad films has a purpose, only the value that you get is found long after you turn off the TV. This film can certainly serve as a replacement for a gratitude practice session. It pushed me to look for empathy in these characters, which carried with me into my actual life.
Bonus Content: How the Pause Drove us to Press Play (Alick Jiang & Tim Ponciano)
Speaking of independent film, a few months ago in May, I had the pleasure of attending a friend’s screening for his documentary short film. The film was about how young professionals in NYC evolved throughout the pandemic. Amidst the isolation, they were able to tap into unfound hobbies, businesses they’ve been meaning to start, and hidden talents. Dyllan became an amateur mixologist, Nikhil switched careers and went from working in finance to go into freelance photography and video/media editing, and Patty discovered her talent for going viral on Tik Tok. None of this is to say that the film glorified the pandemic as bettering everyone’s lives. The film is nuanced and recognizes the tragedy that came from COVID and setbacks, especially for twentysomethings who are in the prime of finding who they are. Mariah started a business that started off as selling herbal teas but then moved into products that provided immunity support when quarantine was in full swing.
The most important aspect of the film deals with how the pandemic shifts our perspective. Our free time on weekdays pre-pandemic was structured around a commute. For me, after working through a hard week, I opted to spend most of my free time relaxing or with people I cared about. What happens if we take away that commute? The title is a very fitting description of self discovery and finding passions you may have never realized you had. Writing about movies is certainly one for me.