The 20 best films from NEON

NEON’s most famous film to date is the unpredictable and award-winning thriller Parasite, which tackles class warfare. The film, set in South Korea, follows a lower-class family who infiltrate a wealthy family’s home by deceivingly earning employment. What happens from there is a twisted and shocking ride, so it’s best to go in blind. Parasite is one of the most successful international movies ever, sweeping the 2020 Oscars and earning Best Picture and Best Director gongs.  

Longlegs was one of the most talked about movies of 2024, thanks to NEON’s mysterious and ambiguous marketing. In the film, an FBI agent is tasked with hunting down a serial killer by deciphering his occult clues. Reminiscent of David Fincher movies like Se7en and Zodiac , the film is a bleak and disturbing exercise in terror and tension. Scream queen Maika Monroe shines, while Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable due to a dramatic physical transformation as the film’s titular killer.

NEON once again explores the concept of the rich versus the poor in the satirical black comedy Triangle of Sadness. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the film is set on a luxurious cruise for the rich and famous. When the ship sinks and both the crew and guests are stranded on a desert island, the social hierarchy shifts. Wickedly funny and biting, the film isn’t afraid to go all out, and as a result, earned three Oscar nominations. Those with a weak stomach should proceed with caution when watching.

The tragic tale of Princess Diana has been told many times, but never like the way it is told in  the unconventional biopic Spencer . In an Oscar-nominated performance, Kristen Stewart plays the late royal, who struggles to conform to royal tradition and process her husband’s affair.  Spencer almost plays out like a psychological thriller, with many surreal and dream-like sequences from Diana's perspective. It is hauntingly beautiful, and Stewart is devastating in this monumental role. 

While all the attention was on Spider-Verse or The Boy and the Heron when it came to animated movies at the 2024 Academy Awards, audiences were missing out on the bittersweet Robot Dreams. Set in 1980s New York in a world of anthropomorphized animals, the lonely Dog orders and assembles Robot to be his new companion, and they set out on a heartbreaking journey. Featuring no dialogue, Robot Dreams purely relies on visuals and emotion to tell — ironically — a very human story.

French film Anatomy of a Fall was the talk of the town during the 2024 awards season, winning Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. When a woman becomes the prime suspect in the suspicious death of her husband, an investigation is conducted, putting their half-blind son in the middle of it all as a witness. This intelligent courtroom drama features incredible performances, with the standout being the film’s canine star Messi. You will also never hear ‘P.I.M.P’ by 50 Cent the same way again. 

Starring Parasite actor Kang-ho Song, Broker is another example of great Korean cinema. The plot follows two men who make a living by finding parents for babies left anonymously in boxes. A young woman finds out about the scheme when she reconsiders giving up her baby for adoption, and a pair of detectives are on their heels. Broker is a sweet and tender road trip movie about found family, elevated by its original concept and moving performances 

Flee is a documentary uniquely presented through animation. It tells the story of Amin Nawabi, a former child refugee from Afghanistan who recounts his incredible journey. As a grown man, he looks back on his life and grapples with a secret that he has been keeping for more than twenty years. This threatens the new life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Harrowing yet hopeful, Flee makes for essential viewing, and the decision to use animation gives it a whole other dimension.

I, Tonya tells the true story of controversial Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding. The film chronicles her rise to fame amid her personal struggles and relationship with her abusive mother. It also examines her downfall and the famous incident where her ex-husband ordered an attack on her skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. The movie plays with different perspectives and features a knockout performance from Margot Robbie. She earned her first Oscar nomination for the role.

In Ingrid Goes West , Aubrey Plaza plays a woman obsessed with online influencer Taylor, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Wanting to emulate Taylor’s seemingly perfect and Instagrammable life, she stalks her and moves to LA, where the two become good friends. As Ingrid tries to model herself after Taylor, things take a dark turn. In the age of social media and online stars, the film could not be more timely, showing how the internet can be used to create a facade. 

Starring The Crown and Challengers star Josh O’Connor, La chimera is a beautifully shot film set in Italy. O’Connor plays archeologist Arthur, just out of jail, who reconnects with a group of grave robbers who live off of ancient Etruscan civilization tombs and artifacts. In search of the woman he lost, Arthur tries to find answers and the door to the afterlife through his work. Incredibly intimate and with plenty of commentary around loss, love, and history, La chimera is a singular work.

From director Sean Baker, winner of the 2024 Palme d’Or at Cannes, Anora is one of the most acclaimed movies of the year and a huge awards season contender. In this adult and modern Cinderella story, Anora, a sex worker from Brooklyn, falls in love with the son of an oligarch. When they get married, and the news spreads to Russia, her parents try to get the marriage annulled. Breakout Mikey Madison is outstanding in this electrifying and darkly funny fairytale.

From acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders, Perfect Days is a simple and reserved film that says so much by saying so little. The slice-of-life plot follows Hirayama, who cleans public toilets in Tokyo. The audience follows him through his everyday routine as he reflects on the world around him. Not much happens in Perfect Days, but the film is all about finding the beauty in the everyday, which it largely succeeds in doing. It’s a gentle and reflective experience for those willing to immerse themselves.

Origin is a sprawling and heavily thematic biopic from Selma and When They See Us director Ava DuVernay. It follows Isabel Wilkerson as she writes her groundbreaking book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. As she tries to cope with her own personal tragedy, Isabel embarks on an odyssey into how our world was shaped and where the roots of injustice stem from. Ambitious in scope and narrative, Origin features a career-best performance from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

NEON undoubtedly released one of the best modern-day rom-coms with Palm Springs , starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Playing on the classic Groundhog Day trope of the time loop, the film sees Nyles and Sarah meet at a wedding. When they are stuck reliving the same day over and over, they lean into wreaking havoc and chaos upon the celebration. The comedic talents of Samberg and Milioti are a perfect match, and the film executes a familiar concept in a fresh way.

Memories of a Murder was the first largely acclaimed film from Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho, released all the way back in 2003. It tells the true story of the hunt for a serial killer who terrorized a small province in 1980s Korea. Featuring frequent Joon-Ho collaborator Kang-ho Song, the film was remastered and re-released by NEON in 2020 after the success of Parasite, introducing this brilliant film to a whole new generation and international audience. 

Petite Maman is a slow-burn French film from Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma. This touching and fantastical film follows Nelly, a young girl who has just lost her grandmother. Helping her parents clean out the home her mother grew up in, she befriends a girl in the surrounding woods, who happens to be her mother as a child. With a runtime of only an hour and twelve minutes, it is the definition of short and sweet, exploring poignant themes around childhood.

After a run of not-so-great movies during the late 2010s, Nicolas Cage returned to critical acclaim with Pig. Cage plays a truffle hunter who lives alone in the wilderness. When his beloved truffle-hunting pig is kidnapped, he must return to civilization and confront his past. Cage is the best he’s been in years, and Alex Wolff is equally great in his supporting role. Pig is a meditative and thoughtful film that will leave audiences simmering with many emotions.

Céline Sciamma’s queer period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire is nothing short of remarkable. When Marianne is commissioned to paint a portrait of Heloise for her wedding, they develop an intense romance, which they cannot publicly express. Leads Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel are mesmerizing together, and each frame is artistically richer than the last. With its powerful ending and themes around suppressed desires, it is beautifully devastating. 

The Worst Person in the World is a Norwegian rom-com that approaches its genre with authenticity and sincerity. It follows four years in the life of Julie, a young woman trying to navigate her career and love life while discovering her identity. Many will be able to relate to Julie’s struggles when it comes to the turning point in her life, such as the messiness of it all and the mistakes she makes. It subverts tropes in every single way and is a breath of fresh air in the genre.