A Glean movie guide
Mind Games & Dark Truths
Don't trust what you see.
Masterpieces of psychological tension that will keep you guessing until the final frame.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Shutter Island
A haunting investigation on a remote island where the line between reality and delusion begins to blur.
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.
- 02
The Silence of the Lambs
A chilling battle of wits between a young FBI trainee and a brilliant, cannibalistic psychiatrist.
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
- 03
Se7en
A grim, atmospheric hunt for a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a gruesome blueprint.
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
- 04
Memento
A brilliant, non-linear puzzle that forces you to experience the world through a man with no short-term 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.
- 05
Black Swan
A visceral descent into madness as a perfectionist ballerina loses her grip on reality during a major production.
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".
- 06
Gone Girl
A sharp, twist-filled exploration of a toxic marriage and the dark side of public perception.
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
- 07
Prisoners
A grueling, high-stakes search for missing children that tests the moral limits of a desperate father.
Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street.
- 08
Oldboy
A brutal and shocking revenge tale that explores the devastating psychological consequences of a 15-year imprisonment.
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
- 09
The Machinist
A haunting character study of a man whose year-long insomnia leads to a terrifying mental breakdown.
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.
- 10
Misery
A masterclass in claustrophobic suspense as an author is held captive by his increasingly unstable fan.
After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by a nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.
- 11
Nocturnal Animals
A stylish, multi-layered thriller where a haunting novel serves as a symbolic and violent act of revenge.
Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.
- 12
The Invitation
A slow-burn exercise in social paranoia that builds to an unforgettable and heart-pounding climax.
Will and his new girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner with old friends at the house of Will’s ex Eden and her new partner David. Although the evening appears to be relaxed, Will soon gets a creeping suspicion that their charming host David is up to something.