A Glean movie guide
Mind-Bending Thrillers
Question everything.
Complex narratives and reality-warping puzzles for fans of Inception.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Matrix
A definitive high-concept classic that questions the very nature of our 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 surreal masterpiece explores dream-sharing technology with stunning visual imagination.
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
A masterclass in non-linear storytelling that forces you to piece together the truth alongside the protagonist.
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 demands your full attention to track its complex time-inversion mechanics.
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
Arrival
An intellectual sci-fi drama that uses a non-linear perception of time to deliver a profound emotional impact.
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.
- 06
Shutter Island
A gripping psychological mystery where the line between sanity and illusion constantly shifts.
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.
- 07
Source Code
A taut, loop-based thriller that keeps the tension high as the protagonist races to solve a mystery.
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.
- 08
Primer
The ultimate puzzle film for viewers who enjoy hard sci-fi and complex, layered narratives.
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
Dark City
A stylish neo-noir that explores artificial realities within a city that changes every night.
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.
- 10
Coherence
A brilliant, low-budget thriller that uses a simple dinner party setting to explore mind-bending parallel realities.
Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.