A Glean movie guide
Beyond Parasite
Dark, satirical, and suspenseful.
Masterful thrillers exploring class, power, and social tension.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Handmaiden
A visually stunning, twist-filled tale of deception and class dynamics from director Park Chan-wook.
1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.
- 02
Snowpiercer
Bong Joon-ho’s high-concept thriller turns a train into a brutal, claustrophobic microcosm of class warfare.
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
- 03
The Menu
A sharp, darkly comedic satire that skewers the elite through a high-stakes culinary nightmare.
A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
- 04
Burning
A slow-burn psychological thriller that masterfully explores modern class disparity and obsession.
Deliveryman Jong-su is out on a job when he runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jong-su an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jong-su about his most unusual hobby.
- 05
Get Out
A genre-bending narrative that uses horror tropes to deliver biting social commentary on race and class.
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
- 06
Shoplifters
A deeply human look at a marginalized family living on the fringes of society.
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.
- 07
Triangle of Sadness
This biting satire of the super-rich turns a luxury cruise into a chaotic, darkly funny survival story.
A celebrity model couple are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged, alcoholic captain. What first appears Instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island in a struggle of hierarchy.
- 08
The Housemaid
A classic of Korean cinema that served as a major influence on the domestic power dynamics of Parasite.
A piano composer's family moves into a new house; when his pregnant wife collapses from working to support the family, he hires a housemaid to help with housework.