Over the years, A24 has produced and released some of the most ambitious movies of the modern era with a slew of impressive horror films, mind-bending multiversal martial arts spectacles, and so much more. And even though the studio and distributor’s output often appeals to a specific audience, it’s hard to argue against a large part of A24’s theatrical releases since it was founded back in 2012. Films like Ex Machina, Room and The Spectacular Now have left memorable impressions on audiences since their release.
And as part of our ongoing partnership with Plex, where more than a dozen A24 movies will be streaming for free throughout the month of July (with many, many more to follow), we’re highlighting some of the best options that are perfect for longtime fans of the studio as well as those who are new to the game. But these movies won’t be on Plex forever, so you probably want to act fast before you miss out on these exciting titles.
These are just some of the A24 movies set to be streaming on Plex. The full list has even more titles.
Lean On Pete (Streaming: July 5)
Not long after taking a job at a Portland, Oregon race track, Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) forms a strong bond with an aging horse named Lean on Pete. When the once-successful racehorse is about to be retired and sold off to be slaughtered, the teenage boy steals his new friend in hopes of starting a new life in Wyoming.
Andrew Haigh’s 2017 coming-of-age drama Lean on Pete follows Charley and the aging horse as they cross the American West, facing hunger, danger, and the pure beauty of the natural world. And even though the movie is one of the lesser known A24 movies, it’s definitely one you don’t want to miss..
Enemy (Streaming: July 12)
After randomly catching a glimpse of an actor who appears to be his identical twin, college professor Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) falls down a dark path where no one is to be left unscathed. Upon meeting Anthony Claire (also played by Gyllenhaal), Adam becomes obsessed with his doppelgänger in every way possible, but as time goes on, the actor with a troubled mental state turns the tide.
Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 psychological thriller Enemy is as unnerving as it is visually striking, and continues to be not only one of the director’s best movies, but also one of the premier A24 movies released to date.
Locke (Streaming: July 12)
Just as he’s about to complete one of the biggest jobs of his career, construction foreman Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is forced to drive from Birmingham to London to be with a coworker (Olivia Colman) with whom he had a one-night stand and is now delivering a child prematurely. During the drive, Ivan has a series of phone calls with his wife (Ruth Wilson), his son (Tom Holland), and several other people, all of which further expose the cracks in his personal and professional lives.
One of the most fascinating things about Steven Knight’s 2013 drama Locke is the fact that Tom Hardy is the only actor the audience sees throughout the 85-minute film, as the other members of the cast appear in voice-only. This creates a brilliant exploration of Hardy’s talents as a performer.
The Spectacular Now (Streaming: July 12)
With his high school graduation looming, popular party boy Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is forced to think long and hard about his future. That becomes all the more complicated when he meets Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley), an introverted classmate who dreams of escaping her overbearing mother and attending college in Philadelphia. As the final months of their senior year play out, the couple learns more about each other, and themselves, than they could imagine.
James Ponsoldt’s 2013 coming-of-age romantic drama The Spectacular Now features what could be considered Miles Teller’s breakout role as it helped launch him to superstardom with his portrayal of the lovable (and hateable) high school senior.
Stream The Spectacular Now on Plex.
Room (Streaming: July 19)
Seven years after being kidnapped as a teenager and forced to live in a small shack, Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) attempts to escape the confined makeshift prison with her young son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who was fathered by her captor.
Lenny Abrahamson’s drama Room could be considered one of the best movies of 2015 with its harrowing and empowering story about one woman’s drive to save herself and allow her young son to see what life is like outside of a cramped, confined space. Nominated for five Academy Awards, Room earned Larson an Oscar for Best Actress.
Available on Plex beginning July 19.
Obvious Child (Streaming: July 19)
After being dumped by her boyfriend, comedian Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) does what anyone would do in her position: she gets wasted, performs a blunt and honest standup routine, and has a one-night stand with a charming young business major named Max (Jake Lacy). But after discovering the fling resulted in an unplanned pregnancy, Donna is forced to make a decision on what to do with the baby and her future.
Gillian Robespierre’s charming, hilarious, and extremely timely 2014 romantic comedy Obvious Child is one of the best romantic comedies to come out in the past decade and only gets better as time goes on. By taking a difficult decision and making it into a comedy, Robespierre, and Slate, find a way to bring levity to the subject-matter.
Available on Plex beginning July 19.
The Rover (Streaming: July 19)
Robbed, beaten, and left for dead in the middle of the Australian outback, Eric (Guy Pearce) musters up the strength to find the gang of bandits who stole from him and make them pay for their crimes. But he’s not alone, as Reynolds (Robert Pattinson), one of the outlaws left behind, is forced to work with his former target if he wishes to survive the day.
David Michôd’s 2014 dystopian Western drama The Rover could be compared to George Miller’s Mad Max movies with its themes of revenge, redemption, and societal collapse. The movie, however, takes a more nuanced approach to a world in which the normal order of things has been turned upside down, creating a slow and methodical experience.
Available on Plex beginning July 19.
A Most Violent Year (Streaming: July 19)
Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), the owner of a New York fueling company, is forced to come up with a way to stop a series of fuel-truck robberies and obtain enough cash to buy a new terminal while also staying off the radar of an ambitious prosecutor looking to make a name for himself. But with each attempt to make things better for himself, Morales’ situation just keeps getting more and more complicated.
J.C. Chandor’s 2014 drama A Most Violent Year offers up a crime story about a man who will do anything he can to not follow the same path that has led so many others to ruin. One of Isaac’s most determined characters, Morales finds himself at a crossroads where he is forced to make difficult, potentially deadly, decisions.
Available on Plex beginning July 19.
Ex Machina (Streaming: July 26)
After winning a company-wide contest to spend a weekend with tech CEO Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac) at his remote mansion, lowly programmer Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) is rushed off for an experience he won’t soon forget. While at the high-tech estate, Caleb learns he is actually part of an experiment to test out his boss’ latest creation: Ava (Alicia Vikander), a frighteningly life-like android.
Before he was making movies like Annihilation and Men, Alex Garland gave the world the 2015 A24 psychological techno-thriller Ex Machina. Thrilling, enchanting, and utterly terrifying, this movie will leave you on the edge of your seat throughout and lost in thought after the credits roll.
Available on Plex beginning July 26.
Slow West (Streaming: July 26)
When the love of his life runs off to America in the early 19th Century, Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) travels from Scotland in hopes of finding her. Joining him is bounty hunter Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender), who fails to tell the young man that he is serving as his bodyguard so he can collect a large bounty on the woman’s head.
Released in 2015, John Maclean’s Slow West is an incredible Western with twists, turns, shootouts, and revelations as its story unfolds. And with a cast that also includes Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Roy McCann, it’s hard not to find some enjoyment in this tense drama.
Available on Plex beginning July 26.
The End Of The Tour (Streaming: July 26)
Following the publication of David Foster Wallace’s (Jason Segel) landmark novel Infinite Jest, Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) spends a few days with the author to conduct a series of interviews for an upcoming piece. Over the course of their days-long interview the two struggling men go from being an interviewer and interviewee to close friends with an incredible (and incredibly complicated) bond.
James Podsoldt’s 2015 biographical drama is based on the actual interviews Lipsky conducted with the late author 12 years before his 2008 death, and offers an intimate look into the lives of one of the best writers of the past 25 years.
Available on Plex beginning July 26.
Mississippi Grind (Streaming: July 26)
A struggling gambling addict Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) and his new friend and good luck charm Curtis (Ryan Reynolds) go on an epic quest for fortune down the Mississippi River. With their sights set on a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans, the two broken men make one last shot at redemption before their pasts catch up with them.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who went on to direct Captain Marvel, Mississippi Grind is a charming, albeit anxiety-inducing 2015 movie that dives into the psyche of chronic gamblers and their complicated lives, creating an extraordinary drama.
Available on Plex beginning July 26.
Review the full list of A24 movies that will be streaming on Plex.
But these aren’t the only A24 movies streaming for free on Plex in July, as titles like The Adderall Diaries (July 12), A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (July 12), Ginger and Rosa (July 12), Under the Skin (July 12), Son of a Gun (July 19), Tusk (July 19), Amy (July 26), and several others are all playing on the streaming service throughout the month.
