W27 – SPRING 2022
THE APPEAL OF , AND WHY OUR GENERATION LOVES TO ROMANTICIZE OUR LIVES By Evan Colacchio (FBM, ‘22)
The indie scene has formed the backbone of the film industry since its very inception, but the past few years have spawned a new, previously unseen, branch of this genre. These films tell human stories with a peculiar mix of empathy, fear, sensitivity and rawness. They carry the same spirit of vulnerability from coming-ofage to fantasy to horror. If hearing these prompts brings forth the memory of a particular film, chances are, it was distributed by A24.
aters often without regard to the film it- pany’s other pictures, including 2016’s self. The plot is not what matters: it’s the “Moonlight,” 2018’s “Eighth Grade,” or feeling. even the 2018 psychological horror “HeA24 films, it appears, are ripe with these reditary.” The action and entertainment feelings. 2017 saw the release of standout value of these films is concentrated in film “Lady Bird,” which told the simple their emotional turbulence. To those who story of a strong-willed 17-year-old Cal- can identify with the characters, they tell ifornian who dreamt of attending college stories that are almost startlingly honest; in New York and struggled to relate with even to those who cannot, they prompt her equally strong-willed mother. While an unmatched ease of empathy.
coming-of-age stories focusing on teenage girls are not necessarily a new conFounded in 2012 by a group of three cept, few other films in the genre have friends and film buffs, the New York- told them with such sensitivity, wisdom, based production company targeted the or profoundness. indie circuit from the beginning. Early The title character is not unlike many films like 2013’s “Spring Breakers” and other teenagers; she lives with both of her “Ginger & Rosa” put them on the map, parents, writes the names of her crushes and established the A24 name as one to on her bedroom wall, yearns to be acceptwatch. The next few years, however, gave ed by her more popular peers. Her life is way to an evolution that placed the com- full of tiny earthquakes, but generally free pany firmly in a league of its own. of tragedy. Yet, the film recognizes that, This success cannot necessarily be at- while these stories may not seem momentributed to box office success or huge tous from the outside, they feel largercelebrity features (though, the company than-life to those who have experienced has had its fair share of both). Rather, it them. Where most films may insult the stems from the cult status that has devel- importance of mundane existence, A24 oped. The A24 name carries a message on sees potential.
Currently, the company is in the midst of a foray into television; it should come as no surprise that they have a hand in the most popular show currently airing, which is none other than drama series “Euphoria.” By now, any other company would have likely been accused of pandering to their audiences or feigning their supposed emotional depth, but A24 has far too much respect for its followers to allow such a thing to happen.
All of this is to say, A24 is not like other film production companies, and a significant contributor to its success is its timeliness. A prime factor distinguishing Millennials and Generation Z from their predecessors is their tendency to seek beauty in the simplistic, and to romantiits own, one that draws viewers to the- This sentiment is upheld by the com- cize the most inconsequential aspects of
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