A Glean movie guide
Brief & Brilliant: Movies Under 90 Minutes
All killer, no filler.
High-impact stories that respect your time without sacrificing quality.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Run Lola Run
A high-octane, stylistic sprint that reinvents the thriller genre in real-time.
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.
- 02
Before Sunset
A deeply romantic conversation that captures a lifetime of longing in just eighty minutes.
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
- 03
Toy Story
The groundbreaking masterpiece that proved animation could be as smart as it is visually stunning.
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.
- 04
What We Do in the Shadows
A hilarious mockumentary that breathes fresh, comedic life into vampire lore.
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
- 05
Following
Christopher Nolan’s lean directorial debut is a twisty noir that doesn't waste a single frame.
Bill, an idle, unemployed aspiring writer, walks the crowded streets of London following randomly chosen strangers, a seemingly innocent entertainment that becomes dangerous when he crosses paths with a mysterious character.
- 06
Petite Maman
A gentle, magical-realist fable that packs immense emotional weight into its brief runtime.
After the death of her beloved grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly meets a strangely familiar girl her own age in the woods. Instantly forming a connection with this mysterious new friend, Nelly embarks on a fantastical journey of discovery which helps her come to terms with this newfound loss.
- 07
Airplane!
A relentless barrage of sight gags and puns that remains the gold standard for spoof comedies.
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
- 08
Primer
A mind-bending time-travel puzzle that rewards deep focus within its compact duration.
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.
- 09
Shiva Baby
An expertly crafted pressure cooker of social anxiety that feels both hilarious and harrowing.
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
- 10
Rec
A terrifyingly efficient found-footage horror that builds to a breathless, unforgettable finale.
- 11
Stand by Me
A timeless coming-of-age journey that perfectly captures the bittersweet end of childhood.
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
- 12
The Iron Giant
A beautifully animated tale of friendship and heroism with a powerful emotional core.
In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.