A Glean movie guide
Feel-Good, Without the Fluff
Warmth, wit, and zero cheese.
Uplifting films that trade saccharine tropes for authentic, grounded storytelling.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
A defiant kid and his grumpy foster uncle find common ground in this witty, fast-paced New Zealand adventure.
Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.
- 02
Chef
This low-stakes story about a chef reclaiming his creative passion is pure, grounded comfort food.
When Chef Carl Casper suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner, he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife, his friend and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love.
- 03
Little Miss Sunshine
Dark humor and realistic family friction keep this road-trip story heartfelt rather than sentimental.
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
- 04
The Peanut Butter Falcon
A modern, authentic take on the classic adventure story that avoids melodramatic tropes entirely.
A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman embarks on a journey to get a young man with Down syndrome to a professional wrestling school in rural North Carolina and away from the retirement home where he’s lived for the past two and a half years.
- 05
Paterson
A meditative and beautifully observed film about finding quiet joy in the daily routine.
A week in the life of Paterson, a poet bus driver, and his wife Laura, a very creative artist, who live in Paterson, New Jersey, hometown of many famous poets and artists.
- 06
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
A tiny shell’s big perspective is captured with documentary-style realism that feels deeply empathetic.
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. When a documentarian discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, his resulting short film brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family.
- 07
Sing Street
The gritty 1980s Dublin setting provides the perfect edge to this optimistic, music-driven story.
A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.
- 08
The Station Agent
An authentic, slow-paced look at loneliness and the unexpected connections that form in a remote train depot.
When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
- 09
Frances Ha
An honest, mumblecore-inspired look at the messy reality of navigating early adulthood in New York City.
An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.
- 10
Kiki's Delivery Service
This atmospheric story focuses on the quiet, relatable struggles of independence and finding one's way.
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.