A Glean movie guide
Beyond the Dream: Mind-Bending Thrillers
Don't forget to check your totem.
High-concept puzzles and reality-warping narratives for fans of Inception.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Tenet
A massive, time-bending espionage thriller that demands your full attention to solve its temporal puzzles.
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.
- 02
Paprika
This stunning anime explores dream-sharing technology and the blurring lines between fantasy and reality.
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.
- 03
The Matrix
A definitive sci-fi classic that questions the nature of reality through high-stakes action and philosophy.
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.
- 04
The Prestige
A masterfully layered tale of obsession and illusion that keeps you guessing until the final reveal.
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.
- 05
Source Code
A tight, mission-driven thriller where a soldier must relive a simulation 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.
- 06
Memento
A gripping noir told in reverse that forces you to experience the protagonist's fractured memory 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.
- 07
Shutter Island
A haunting psychological mystery where the atmosphere is as thick as the questions surrounding the truth.
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.
- 08
Looper
A gritty, inventive take on time travel that pits a man against his future self in a high-stakes chase.
In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
- 09
Coherence
A low-budget, high-concept marvel that turns a simple dinner party into a terrifying reality-warping puzzle.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
- 10
Dark City
A visually striking neo-noir about a man discovering his world 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.
- 11
Predestination
An incredibly dense and rewarding temporal puzzle that folds back on itself in shocking ways.
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.
- 12
Arrival
A cerebral and emotional sci-fi masterpiece that explores how language can reshape our perception of time.
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.