A Glean movie guide
Beyond Reality
Dive into the complex.
Mind-bending sci-fi and thrillers that challenge your perception of the world.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Matrix
A definitive look at simulated reality that blends high-concept philosophy with iconic action.
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
Memento
Christopher Nolan’s non-linear masterpiece forces you to piece together a fractured memory alongside the protagonist.
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.
- 03
Paprika
This visually stunning animation explores dream manipulation in a way that feels like a direct precursor 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.
- 04
Tenet
A high-stakes espionage thriller that demands your full attention as it manipulates the flow of time.
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 thriller that masterfully blurs the lines between perception and reality.
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
Arrival
An intellectual sci-fi drama that uses non-linear narrative to explore how language shapes our reality.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 07
Dark City
An atmospheric, noir-inspired 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
Source Code
A taut, high-concept puzzle that traps its protagonist in a repeating time-loop to prevent a disaster.
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.
- 09
Coherence
A low-budget, high-tension experiment in parallel realities that proves how effective a great concept can be.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
- 10
Primer
The ultimate hard science fiction film for those who want a narrative that rewards deep, repeated analysis.
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.