A Glean movie guide
Mind-Bending Masterpieces
Question everything.
Dive into high-concept thrillers and reality-warping sci-fi that demand your full attention.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Matrix
A definitive high-concept classic that challenges the nature of our perceived reality.
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
Paprika
This visually stunning film explores dream-sharing technology with a direct thematic link 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.
- 03
Memento
Christopher Nolan’s non-linear puzzle box demands total engagement as you piece together a fractured memory.
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.
- 04
Tenet
A high-stakes espionage thriller that uses complex time-manipulation mechanics to redefine the action genre.
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 line 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 journey that uses language and communication to explore profound truths about 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.
- 07
Dark City
A neo-noir masterpiece about a man trapped in a city where reality is constantly being reshaped.
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
The Prestige
A layered, obsessive tale of rivalry and deception that rewards viewers who pay close attention.
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.
- 09
Source Code
A high-stakes, time-sensitive puzzle that keeps the tension high from start to finish.
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.
- 10
Coherence
A low-budget, high-concept gem that turns a simple dinner party into a reality-bending nightmare.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.