Movies

A24 and the Magic of Cinematic Boundaries

How a modern studio is reviving physical media, embracing artistic limitations, and pushing the bold edges of auteur cinema.

Odin Halvorson

22 Feb 2026 — 4 min read

Movie Love 14 | Published Apr 1952

One film company is responsible for all the best films. Alright, sure, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but A24 remains one of the most interesting film companies around, and it reminds me a lot of halcyon companies like United Artists during its early, formative years.

A24 is responsible for a lot of what might be considered auteur horror, but its work goes far beyond that range. Yes, there are exemplary, twisted masterpieces like The Lighthouse, which I saw in theaters when it first came out. But there are also films like The Green Knight and Alex Garland's Civil War—two of my favorite films from the last few years. Despite the fact that I had some criticisms of Civil War not going as hard as it could have in a useful direction, it still managed to evoke a sense of malignant horror at the state of modern political disunity.

And while Civil War did, to me, come across as a little lackluster—because as an anarchist, I would have hoped to see a more useful critique of power structures and a little less simplistic moralizing—it remained a film that had a significant amount of viewing potential.

Physical Media & Alternative Platforms

Another thing that strikes me about A24 is that it has its own merch shop and releases DVDs that are exclusive to that shop, not released through the likes of Amazon. Those of you who've been following my work for a while know that while I do occasionally purchase from Amazon for the sake of modern convenience, I really dislike that organization and would love to find a centralized yet cooperative alternative that can meet the same sort of need.

That said, when it comes to media recommendations, I am deeply interested in alternatives. Whether it’s Libro.fm (use this affiliate link to support us while earning yourself access to the best audiobook service around), or intriguing services like Letterboxd, which focuses on more than simply creating a social network for movie fans, but actually provides a way to access and log many movies that you would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

A24 is doing the same thing with at least a few of their films, and I always find that fascinating. In a day when streaming media has taken over, much to the detriment of both artists and audience alike, it's good to see physical media still making some headway.

Mythic Dimensions & Political Critiques

I remember thinking about The Green Knight for a long time after watching it, not because it played up specific aspects of the myth that were shocking or visually intense, but because it managed to so deeply capture the essence of a mythic dimension. Obviously, it gave us the story of Sir Gawain, who defends his liege lord on midwinter's night from a mysterious challenger, and who must later go on a grand voyage to seek the truth of his own identity and the truth of morality on behalf of his king.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has always been one of my favorite stories, partially because it is such an early blending of Christian myth with Celtic myth. You end up with a beautiful union that highlights the fantasy in both, but also the true human nature that exists in both as well. And, of course, Dev Patel did an absolutely incredible job in the film. His performance was astonishing—an absolute treat to watch.

The Power of Limitations

I'm always fascinated by organizations that manage to push the boundaries of art in different ways. When I was digging deeply into film history and film theory, the artists and the films I appreciated the most were those who were obsessed with the bold edges of the medium. They wanted to tell a good tale, but at the same time, they were maybe more than a little obsessive about the way they wanted to tell it, or the subtext they felt was even more important than the text itself.

I also think there's a great deal of value to be found in pushing up against tighter budgets. While A24 has recently become a significantly more stable financial powerhouse than it was at its inception, it's still small fry compared to most of the really big studios. The limitations inherent in a medium have always fascinated me. I've watched many directors whose work I enjoyed become less interesting in their artistic expression because of the success they enjoyed in earlier decades. When they return to those worlds they created, trying to finally bring their perfect vision into alignment, they inevitably come to it with vast resources at their beck and call. Those resources detract from the heady, gritty, raw experience of struggling to create something magical and unique.

This obviously comes to mind with movies like Star Wars. The original films were up against constant pressures, deadlines, financial limitations, and the technological limitations of the era. We saw a very random group of puppeteers, claymation enthusiasts, and motorcycle mechanics come together to devise an entirely new epoch in visual storytelling. And it was all quite despite George Lucas, who was somewhat upset with how long their work was taking to reach fruition!

As I mentioned earlier, the early work of United Artists—founded by visionaries like Mary Pickford and geniuses like Charlie Chaplin—offered a place for artists to express themselves and build out their visions in a potent and unique manner. It's exciting to see a modern studio touching in with a similar ethos. They are offering a potent creative alternative where artistic risk-taking is not only accepted but welcomed, and where the bottom line is acknowledged as only one small facet of a larger creative whole.

I think if a few more companies followed the likes of A24, we'd end up in a much more interesting place when it comes to mainstream cinema.

What about you? What are your favorite A24 films? Which ones spoke the most to you? Tell me in the comments—I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian, life coach, and fiction author. If you like my work and want to support what we do here at Unenlightened Generalists, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter for as little as $2.50 a month!

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