While they don’t normally receive nearly as much attention as the multitude of crowd-pleasing blockbusters released every year, arthouse films have fulfilled a very specific niche of artistic merit within filmmaking since their inception. Without having to worry about appealing to general audiences or boardroom executives, arthouse filmmaking has allowed filmmakers to createwild and niche stories aimed at being serious pieces of artistic work.
2024 has been a particularly great year for arthouse cinema, with independent distributors like A24, Neon, and MUBI doing better than ever before and proving that there is a solidified audience for artistic cinema. At the same time, the advent of the digital era and social media has placed many more eyes on the most interesting and wild arthouse films that never would have received such attention in the past. While these films may not connect with everyone, they have made a substantial impact in independent cinema and arthouse filmmaking.
10’Strange Darling'
Directed by JT Mollner
A wildly entertaining horror thriller that messes with its chronological order to create interesting twists that shift the perspective of the entire film in the process,Strange Darlingis a beautifully shot twist on a serial killer premise. The film starts its six-chapter story in the third chapter, seeing a young woman being chased down the road and through the forest by a mysterious, vengeful man hell-bent on killing her. As more is revealed throughout the story, the context and perception of the story are flipped on its head and evolve to be much more intricate than previously assumed.
While its intricate non-linear storytelling is already strange and perfect for arthouse filmmaking,Strange Darlingtruly comes into its own thanks to the duo of exceptional performances byWilla FitzgeraldandKyle Gallner. The film also features an exceptional visual style that adds to the overall depth and tension of the film, playing with darkness and fulfilling red and blue lights to create a signature aura and style for its violent storytelling.
Strange Darling
9’Memoir of a Snail'
Directed by Adam Elliot
Australian directorAdam Elliotis already an icon of arthouse filmmaking for his work on the widely beloved stop-motion masterpieceMary and Max, with his latest film,Memoir of a Snailfinding a similar level of adult charm and wit. TheR-rated animated moviefollows melancholic misfit Grace (Sarah Snook) reminiscing on her painful and chaotic life, from when she was forcibly separated from her twin brother and having to find confidence and strength within herself as an orphan into adulthood.
While its quaint stop-motion appearance may make it seem like a child-friendly film,Memoir of a Snail’sraunchy style of humor and emotionally draining story make the film absolutely not for younger audiences. Its adult focus allows it to place a greater emphasis on the exceptional animation style, as well as telling a relatable and personal story of growth and self-discovery amidst painful hardships. Especially for fans of Elliot’s previous work or stop-motion animation in general,Memoir of a Snailis a must-watch experience and a prolific work of art.
Memoir of a Snail
Rent on Amazon Prime
8’Kinds of Kindness'
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimoshas proven himself to be one of the most recognizable and acclaimed arthouse directors of recent memory, with films likePoor ThingsandThe Favouriteeven earning him awards and mass critical acclaim. However, with his latest film,Kinds of Kindness, Lanthimos finds himself returning to his more avant-garde and non-consumer-friendly approach to storytelling, not shying away from highly disturbing and uncomfortable storytelling. Especially for fans of his early works likeDogtooth, the film acts asa glorious return to form that still feels in line with his modern tendencies.
The film acts as an anthology film following a trio of different intricate and strange fables, with the same cast of highly acclaimed actors playing different characters in each story. The stories range from following a policeman increasingly worried about his wife who was lost at sea, a man who allows his boss to control every aspect of his life, and a sex cult member who is on a dedicated search for someone with the ability to reanimate the dead.
Kinds of Kindness
7’The People’s Joker'
Directed by Vera Drew
One of the biggest strengths that arthouse cinema can provide is being able to give a glimpse into the uncompromising artistic vision of a single visionary, a statement that perfectly describesVera Drew’s wild superhero parody,The People’s Joker. The film acts not only as a parody and satire of superhero culture and characters but also asa touching transgender coming-of-age story that flourishes in bright colors and the mischief of chaos and laughter. It’sa miraculous featthat this wild parody even managed to be released, considering the various legal struggles that were in its path.
Personality finds itself flowing fromThe People’s Jokerin nearly every frame, whether it be from quirky low-budget costumes or visual effects to its frequent takedowns of the modern comedy industry. The film certainly shares a similar no-nonsense and chaotic energy as the works ofTim Heidecker(of whom Drew is a frequent collaborator), yetit balances this in-your-face style of humor with a genuine emotional core that comes from a place of care and love.
The People’s Joker
6’A Real Pain'
Directed by Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenbergproves himself to be just as brilliant as a writer/director as he is a leading star withA Real Pain, balancing comedy and heartfelt family emotion together to make one of the year’s best films. The film follows a duo of mismatched cousins who find themselves on a vacation tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother who had recently deceased. The trip proves to affect both of them in different ways, bringing out emotions and forcing them to confront tensions of the past.
A Real Pain balances a lot of different themes and concepts throughout its journey across Poland, from the pains of jealousy and depression to a connection to one’s culture and familial ties. However, despite its side swath of concepts, the film never gets too lost thanks to being wrapped in and grounded by a duo of exceptional performances by Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. The duo oozes charm and chemistry with one another throughout the film,bringing out the best in each other comedically and emotionally to create a touching, must-watch dramedy.
A Real Pain
Watch in Theaters
5’I Saw the TV Glow'
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun
One of the most acclaimed and widely celebrated arthouse horror movies of recent memory,I Saw the TV Glow’s utilization of unceasing dread and body-dysmorphia symbolism has made it one ofthe year’s most exceptional horror films. The film follows young teenager Owen, who has found refuge from his uneventful life in the suburbs through a close friendship built around mutual appreciation of a mysterious late-night TV show. However, the mysterious and confusing nature of the show proves to be much more than meets the eye, causing Owen’s view of reality itself to break apart.
I Saw the TV Glow’s blatant transgender subtext proves to be something that not only defines the film, butevolves and elevates each aspect of its filmmaking to further its core message and thematic resonance. It goes about its messaging and story in such a unique and powerful way, choosing to let the feelings and emotions of its execution speak for themselves and allow audiences to succumb to the tension and underlying pain.
I Saw the TV Glow
4’A Different Man'
Directed by Adam Schimberg
A striking and one-of-a-kind black comedy/psychological thriller that delves into the psyche and difficulties of self-perception through a satirical and irony-soaked lens,A Different Manis a strange yet beautiful feat of storytelling. The film follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), an aspiring actor who has lived with pain and judgment from his peers due to his neurofibromatosis giving him a disfiguring facial condition. However, after he has a groundbreaking medical treatment that cures him of his condition, he begins living under a new identity before realizing the strengths and merits he left behind in his previous life.
Balancing the intricacies and depth of a dark psychological character study with an edge of comedic wit and edge is a miraculous yet inherent strength that elevatesA Different Maninto one of the year’s standout cinematic experiences. Nearly every actor in the film is bringing their all andfinding the perfect balance of comedy and emotional resonance to make the story work, with Stan,Renate Reinsve, andAdam Pearsongiving some of the best performances of the year.
A Different Man
Directed by Sean Baker
Sean Bakerhas been a largely iconic arthouse director for nearly a decade now through his unique lens for storytelling and finding beauty and humanity within the perceived slums and poverty-stricken world.Anoracontinues to build upon his inherent strengths as a director in the best way possible,weaving together a beautiful, almost fairy-tale story of unconventional love before crashing down into the harshness of reality. Thestandout crime movie of the yearhas made massive waves among critics and audiences alike, even being the first American film to win the Palme d’Or in over a decade.
The film follows titular young sex worker Anora (Mikey Madison), who has seemingly found her own Cinderella story after forging a bond with the son of a Russian oligarch, with the duo impulsively getting married in Vegas. However, the news of their marriage proves to create a stir of chaos in Russia, with Anora’s fairytale fantasy seemingly crashing down when they send an array of workers to force them to get their marriage annulled.
2’The Brutalist'
Directed by Brady Corbet
An exceptional achievement when it comes to the scope and scale of a low-budget historical epic,The Brutalistharkens back to the hard-hitting dramas of old in weaving together its powerful tale of the falsities of the American dream. The film follows visionary architect László Tóth (Adrian Brody), who after escaping the hellscape of post-war Europe, has begun to rebuild a new life for him and his wife in a small Pennsylvanian town. His talents as an architect are soon discovered by prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who gives him a chance to achieve the American Dream, yet this comes with a heavy cost.
The Brutalistproves that massive-scale 3+ hour-long historical dramas can still provide strength and power in a modern context,commenting and reflecting perfectly with the difficult political turmoil of the modern era by looking into the past. DirectorBrady Corbethas achieved a genuine feat of creation with the film, combining classic filmmaking techniques with flourishes of the modern era to create the perfect meeting of cultures and styles.
The Brutalist
1’The Substance'
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
The beauty and weight of arthouse movies have always been their inherent strength of not having to attempt to appeal to the whims of the audience, creating a fulfilling an uncompromising vision that will find its own audience through its own strengths. When it comes to this core tenet of arthouse filmmaking,no film this year quite exemplifies what it means to be an arthouse film likeThe Substance, a wild and gory body horror film with aggressive themes of beauty standards and female self-hatred.
Every scene ofThe Substanceis built around creating some of the most enthralling and stylish approaches possible, not caring about alienating its audience with its buckets of blood or in-your-face messaging in the process. The film is certainly not for everyone, which is entirely by design to create its most inflexible vision possible,with this striking and auteurist vision connecting with audiences because of its outlandish attributes, not in spite of them. It all comes together to create one of the darkest, most violent, and overallbest movies of 2024.
