A Glean movie guide
Beyond Parasite
Genre-bending tension
Masterful thrillers exploring class, deception, and dark social satire.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Snowpiercer
Bong Joon-ho directs this intense allegory of class warfare set on a train that never stops.
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.
- 02
The Handmaiden
A visually stunning, twist-filled tale of deception and power dynamics in 1930s Korea.
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.
- 03
The Menu
A high-end dining experience turns deadly in this sharp, biting satire of class privilege.
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 examines 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
The Platform
This high-tension survival story serves as a brutal, direct allegory for social inequality.
A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. The residents above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent.
- 06
Triangle of Sadness
A luxury cruise disaster upends social hierarchies in this cynical and hilarious satire.
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.
- 07
Memories of Murder
Bong Joon-ho’s atmospheric crime masterpiece blends procedural tension with deep social critique.
A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.
- 08
Saltburn
A student’s obsession with an aristocratic classmate leads to a dark, manipulative game of infiltration.
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
- 09
Shoplifters
A poignant look at a marginalized family whose survival depends on unconventional, illicit means.
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.
- 10
Ready or Not
A bride’s wedding night becomes a fast-paced, deadly game against her wealthy, sinister in-laws.
A young bride's wedding night turns into her worst nightmare when her ridiculously rich in-laws force her to play a gruesome game of hide-and-seek.