DEREK EX MACHINA, created by author and editor Derek L.H., is a blog dedicated to exploring the effect that video games and film have on people.
All tagged A24
If 2025 was an indicator of anything, it’s that we all deserve to continue allowing art to surprise us, and open our hearts enough for new, unexpected stories to reshape how we think about the world. Here are the 2025 films that did just that for me.
Sorry, Baby is a beautiful case study in the power of telling stories centered on authenticity and a willingness to be grounded. Through its narrative structure showing how one instance of trauma influences different aspects of its protagonist’s life, Sorry, Baby weaves a compelling, believable, funny, and harrowing tale that I strongly believe anyone will enjoy and look fondly upon despite its heavy subject matter.
2024 was unquestionably a year where indie films dominated my mind for most of the year. Whether it’s through inventive horror or non-verbal animation, 2024 offered some of the best films of the last decade.
Heretic is a supremely smart, hilarious, and disturbing movie that masterfully balances emotion, logic, and skepticism to craft a story that is sure to inspire broader, deeper conversations about faith and its relationship with control among its audience.
A Different Man is a film ultimately concerned with our relationship with individuality and the comparisons we make with others through highlighting two characters' opposite relationships with their attitude towards the world and their disabilities.
Sing Sing stands far above its contemporaries due to its uniquely authentic and intellectual approach to its story, performances, and themes about hope, humanity, and integrity. This film respects those whose story this film is based on while also being a story full of heart and humanity that its depicted inmates share.
mid90s is a dense, intriguing film that analyzes the extent to which a generation was impacted by their surroundings in a flawed era and culture. […] Through powerful writing, great performances, and a commentary about a generation that hasn’t had many stories told about it (yet), mid90s is an examination well worth paying attention to.
