(Photo by Neon / Fandango.)
Created in 2017 and with co-founder roots in Alamo Drafthouse, production house and distributor Neon has been bringing independent and unconventional films to the masses. Neon’s first film, the Anne Hathaway-starring kaiju comedy Colossal, was an out-the-gate statement and things have only gotten more interesting from there. Margot Robbie’s sports comedy I, Tonya was their first box office hit coming in December of that first year, with awards gold to soon follow. By 2020, Neon won a few Oscars for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (it’s the highest-rated Best Picture winner ever), while Portrait of a Lady on Fire got the Golden Tomato for Best Movie here on Rotten Tomatoes. By 2024 and 2025, they’ve showed no signs of stopping with Anora now also crowned the Oscar for Best Picture.
And now we’re inviting Neon to curate their own guide to the Best of Neon movie, starting with their earliest films and up to the moment atop their mountain of awards and Oscars. Included in the list are films Neon has added to their library, Bong Joon Ho‘s international breakthrough Memories of a Murder, and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, which put Korea on the international movie map in 2003.
Below, see the Best of Neon, chosen by the very people who helped create movies, and our Fandango at Home page where everything is ready for sale and rent.
#1
Critics Consensus: Memories of Murder blends the familiar crime genre with social satire and comedy, capturing the all-too human desperation of its key characters.
#2
Critics Consensus: Violent and definitely not for the squeamish, Park Chan-Wook’s visceral Oldboy is a strange, powerful tale of revenge.
#3
Critics Consensus: Borg vs McEnroe makes tennis improbably cinematic — and brings the absolute best out of Shia LaBeouf, who delivers some of the best work of his career.
#4
Critics Consensus: A kaleidoscopic neo-noir, Gemini is a visually striking murder mystery with a convoluted but largely compelling plot and an impressive showing from Lola Kirke.
#5
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly capturing a remarkable performer near the peak of her prodigious power, Amazing Grace is a thrilling must-watch documentary for Aretha Franklin fans.
#6
Critics Consensus: Thrilling, unpredictable, and brilliantly acted, Border (Gräns) offers a singular treat to genre fans looking for something different.
#7
Critics Consensus: Surreal and surprising, Three Identical Strangers effectively questions the nature of reality and identity.
#8
Critics Consensus: There’s no shortage of star-is-born stories, but Wild Rose proves they can still be thoroughly entertaining — and marks its own transcendent moment for lead Jessie Buckley.
#9
Critics Consensus: Uplifting, educational, and entertaining, The Biggest Little Farm is an environmental advocacy documentary with a satisfying side dish of hope for the future.
#10
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and visually stylish, Monsters and Men tells its timely story with enough compassion and complexity to make up for occasionally uneven execution.
#11
Critics Consensus: Assassination Nation juggles exploitation and socially aware elements with mixed results, but genre fans may find it too stylish and viscerally energetic to ignore.
#12
Critics Consensus: Intriguing albeit flawed, Vox Lux probes the allures and pitfalls of modern celebrity with intelligence, visual style, and an assured Natalie Portman performance.
#13
Critics Consensus: Honeyland uses life in a remote village to offer an eye-opening perspective on experiences that should resonate even for audiences halfway around the world.
#14
Critics Consensus: An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.
#15
Critics Consensus: Edifying and inspiring in equal measure, Apollo 11 uses artfully repurposed archival footage to send audiences soaring back to a pivotal time in American history.
#16
Critics Consensus: A singularly rich period piece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire finds stirring, thought-provoking drama within a powerfully acted romance.
#17
Critics Consensus: As visually splendid as it is thought-provoking, Monos takes an unsettling look at human nature whose grim insights leave a lingering impact.
#18
Critics Consensus: Clemency mines serious social issues for gripping drama, brought to life by an outstanding cast led by Alfre Woodard.
#19
Critics Consensus: Luce brings a stellar ensemble to bear on a satisfyingly complex story that addresses its timely themes in thought-provoking fashion.
#20
Critics Consensus: Led by an impressive Riley Keough performance, The Lodge should prove a suitably unsettling destination for fans of darkly atmospheric horror.
#21
Critics Consensus: The role of a lifetime for Matthew McConaughey, The Beach Bum is set apart by Harmony Korine’s distinctive style, but that isn’t always enough to offset the unfocused story.
#22
Critics Consensus: Gunda takes an absorbingly meditative look at farm life from the animals’ perspective, tacitly posing questions about our relationship to food along the way.
#23
Critics Consensus: The Painter and the Thief uses the unlikely bond between a criminal and his victim as the canvas for a compelling portrait of compassion and forgiveness.
#24
Critics Consensus: A restless and riveting fable, Night of Kings sees writer-director Philippe Lacôte in full command of his craft.
#25
Critics Consensus: Spaceship Earth achieves liftoff as an engaging behind-the-scenes record of an audacious experiment — and settles into orbit as poignant proof of the power of a shared dream.
#26
Critics Consensus: The chemistry between Saoirse Ronan and a never-better Kate Winslet helps Ammonite transcend its period romance trappings.
#27
Critics Consensus: Despite solid performances, New Order‘s merciless brutality and unfocused gaze threaten to derail its message.
#28
Critics Consensus: Three Minutes – A Lengthening movingly captures a moment in time while honoring lives soon to be cut short by unimaginable horror.
#29
Critics Consensus: Depicting the refugee experience through vivid animation, Flee pushes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking to present a moving memoir of self-discovery.
#30
Critics Consensus: Like the animal itself, Pig defies the hogwash of expectations with a beautiful odyssey of loss and love anchored by Nicolas Cage’s affectingly raw performance.
#31
Critics Consensus: Small in narrative scope but deeply impactful, Petite Maman is a delicate, powerfully acted meditation on grief.
#32
Critics Consensus: The Worst Person in the World concludes Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy with a romantic comedy that delightfully subverts the genre’s well-worn tropes.
#33
Critics Consensus: Thrillingly provocative and original, Titane reaffirms writer-director Julia Ducournau’s delightfully disturbing vision.
#34
Critics Consensus: Ailey pays invigorating tribute to its subject’s brilliant legacy — and offers a tantalizing introduction to the rest of a fascinating story.
#35
Critics Consensus: Provocative on more than one level, Pleasure peels back the curtain on unsavory aspects of the adult film industry, with Sofia Kappel’s powerful performance leading the way.
#36
Critics Consensus: Spencer can frustrate with its idiosyncratic depiction of its subject’s life, but Kristen Stewart’s finely modulated performance anchors the film’s flights of fancy.
#37
Critics Consensus: Beba‘s narrow point of view limits its impact to an extent, but this remains an impressive work of introspective documentary filmmaking.
#38
Critics Consensus: In the Earth‘s bleak kaleidoscope of horror is a hallucinogenic meditation on the residual pandemic fears that haunt humanity.
#39
Critics Consensus: A remarkable debut for writer-director Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl offers a deceptively simple reminder that the smallest stories can leave a large emotional impact.
#40
Critics Consensus: An explosive adaptation of Andreas Malm’s treatise, How to Blow Up a Pipeline delivers a high-stakes eco-thriller ignited by riveting and complex antiheroes.
#41
Critics Consensus: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a bone-deep look at a photographer’s fight against addiction and the institution responsible for her pain through her gritty lens.
#42
Critics Consensus: A gut-punching contemplation of a woman’s immigrant experience, Saint Omer puts a mother on the stand and the audience in the jury box to find humanity in the inhumane.
#43
Critics Consensus: Broker skirts the edges of sentimentality, but is consistently grounded by Kore-eda Hirokazu’s warm, tenderly melancholic approach.
#44
Critics Consensus: An audiovisual treat for Bowie fans, Moonage Daydream takes an appropriately distinctive approach to one of modern music’s most mercurial artists.
#45
Critics Consensus: Revolving around outstanding performances from Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott, Sanctuary confounds expectations with élan.
#46
Critics Consensus: Quintessential if not classic Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future finds the director revisiting familiar themes with typically unsettling flair.
#47
Critics Consensus: If its story’s mysteries are ultimately less compelling than they might seem, Enys Men‘s retro aesthetic and intriguingly abstract visuals make this a chilly treat for horror fans.
#48
Critics Consensus: Triangle of Sadness lacks the sharp edges of Östlund’s earlier work, but this blackly humorous swipe at the obscenely affluent has its own rewards.
#49
Critics Consensus: As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Robot Dreams is the stuff good animation is made of.
#50
Critics Consensus: A smart, solidly crafted procedural that’s anchored in family drama, Anatomy of a Fall finds star Sandra Hüller and director/co-writer Justine Triet operating at peak power.
#51
Critics Consensus: An absorbing slice-of-life drama led by a remarkable Kôji Yakusho performance, Perfect Days adds a quietly soaring gem to director/co-writer Wim Wenders’ estimable filmography.
#52
Critics Consensus: If La Chimera is a wild, improbable pursuit, this marvelous and magical tale by Alice Rochrwacher is the pie in the sky to behold.
#53
Critics Consensus: A chilling immersion into a place and time fraught with constant danger, The Royal Hotel reunites Kitty Green and Julia Garner to electrifying effect.
#54
Critics Consensus: Turbulent waters even for strong swimmers, Infinity Pool provides a visceral all-inclusive retreat of Cronenbergian perversion for those wanting to escape commercial sundries.
#55
Critics Consensus: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie prove a well-matched duo in Eileen, which honors its source material with a twisty tale of obsession.
#56
Critics Consensus: Sleek and well-acted, Ferrari overcomes its occasionally underpowered narrative to deliver a rousing and admirably complex biopic.
#57
Critics Consensus: Effective horror with a strong core of social commentary, It Lives Inside is an eerily compelling calling card for filmmaker Bishal Dutta in his feature-length debut.
#58
Critics Consensus: A searing indictment of oppressive rule, whether it be of a nation or in a household, The Seed of the Sacred Fig functions both as compelling drama and powerful political statement.
#59
Critics Consensus: Another marvelous chronicle of America’s strivers by writer-director Sean Baker given some extra pizzazz by Mikey Madison’s brassy performance, Anora is a romantic drama on the bleeding edge.
#60
Critics Consensus: Offering an uproariously unvarnished look at motherhood and female friendships, Babes finds Pamela Adlon making an assured feature-length directorial debut with a big assist from stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
#61
Critics Consensus: Saturated in disquieting mood while leveraging a nightmarishly gonzo performance by Nicolas Cage, Longlegs is a satanic horror that effectively instills panic.
#62
Critics Consensus: Directed with inventive flair by Tilman Singer while given flavorful personality by stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, Cuckoo is a madcap madhouse horror that’s on the right side of deranged.
#63
Critics Consensus: A grounded zombie picture with emotional bite, Handling the Undead shuffles along at a patient pace but succeeds as a poignant and thoughtful addition to the genre.
#64
Critics Consensus: Director Jazmin Jones’ exploration of one of the internet’s strangest cases occasionally lapses into self-indulgence, but the personalized approach ultimately yields a one-of-a-kind documentary experience.
#65
Critics Consensus: Immaculate in conception if not always in execution, this religiously themed horror outing is saved by a divine performance from Sydney Sweeney.
#66
Critics Consensus: Stress Positions plays on familiar seriocomic tropes with sporadic verve, although the characters are occasionally more interesting than the story they’re being used to tell.
#67
Critics Consensus: The End doesn’t lack for ambition or talent, but its bold vision is ill-served by a bloated runtime and monotonous musical score.
#68
Critics Consensus: Mothers’ Instinct is a glossily enjoyable showcase for Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, although the stars are ill-served by a thin story and shaky tonal command.
#69
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
