A Glean movie guide
Beyond Reality
Mind-bending sci-fi and mystery
High-concept thrillers that challenge your perception of what is real.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Matrix
A definitive masterpiece that questions the nature of our simulated reality.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
- 02
Paprika
This surreal visual journey into the dream world serves as a thematic predecessor to Inception.
Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds.
- 03
Memento
Christopher Nolan’s non-linear puzzle demands your full attention as it reconstructs a fractured memory.
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
- 04
Tenet
A high-stakes espionage thriller that uses complex time-manipulation mechanics to redefine action.
Armed with only one word - Tenet - and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
- 05
Shutter Island
A gripping psychological mystery where the line between sanity and reality constantly shifts.
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
- 06
Source Code
A taut, puzzle-like thriller that masterfully executes a high-concept time-loop premise.
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
- 07
Dark City
A stylish neo-noir mystery set in a city where reality is rewritten every night.
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
- 08
Coherence
A brilliant, low-budget intellectual puzzle that explores alternate realities during a dinner party.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
- 09
The Prestige
A layered, obsessive tale of rivalry that rewards viewers who pay close attention to every detail.
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
- 10
Primer
An uncompromisingly complex hard sci-fi film that demands multiple viewings to fully decode.
A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.