A Glean movie guide
Mind-Bending Realities
Question everything.
High-concept thrillers that challenge your perception and reward your attention.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Memento
A fragmented, non-linear puzzle that forces you to experience the protagonist's memory loss 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.
- 02
The Prestige
A masterfully layered mystery where every detail is a clue in a deadly game of deception.
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.
- 03
Paprika
A visually stunning journey through the subconscious that served as a key 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.
- 04
The Machinist
A haunting psychological study of a man whose grip on reality slips as his insomnia takes hold.
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.
- 05
Dark City
A stylish noir mystery set in a world where memories and the environment are 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.
- 06
The Game
A relentless thriller that keeps you guessing whether the high-stakes events are a prank or a conspiracy.
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.
- 07
Jacob's Ladder
A visceral descent into a veteran's fractured psyche where the line between life and death blurs.
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
- 08
Coherence
A low-budget, high-concept marvel that turns a simple dinner party into a complex multi-dimensional puzzle.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
- 09
Predestination
A mind-twisting sci-fi narrative that uses time travel to explore the deepest layers of personal identity.
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.
- 10
Mulholland Drive
A surreal, dream-like odyssey through Los Angeles that demands interpretation and multiple viewings.
Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.