A Glean movie guide
Beyond Reality: Mind-Bending Thrillers
Question everything you see.
Psychological puzzles and high-concept sci-fi for fans of Inception and Shutter Island.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Prestige
A masterclass in cinematic misdirection where the plot itself is a complex, unfolding magic trick.
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.
- 02
Memento
A gripping noir told in reverse that forces you to experience the protagonist's disorientation firsthand.
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
The Game
A tense psychological thriller where the line between a harmless game and a deadly conspiracy vanishes.
In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.
- 04
Paprika
A visually stunning journey into the dream world that served as a primary inspiration for Inception.
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it and recover it before damage is done: Paprika.
- 05
The Machinist
A haunting portrait of guilt and insomnia featuring a narrator whose reality is rapidly disintegrating.
Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.
- 06
Dark City
A stylish, atmospheric noir where a man discovers his entire city is being manipulated by mysterious forces.
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.
- 07
Predestination
A dizzying time-travel puzzle that rewards viewers who pay close attention to every paradoxical detail.
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.
- 08
Source Code
A high-stakes sci-fi mystery that uses a repeating eight-minute window to unravel a complex conspiracy.
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 mind-bending dinner party where a passing comet causes reality to fracture into terrifying possibilities.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
- 10
Fight Club
A visceral dive into the psyche of an insomniac that culminates in one of cinema's most famous twists.
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.