A Glean movie guide
Mind Games & High Stakes
Don't trust what you see.
Masterfully crafted thrillers that blur the line between reality and obsession.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Shutter Island
A haunting descent into paranoia where a heavy atmosphere of dread makes you question every character's motives.
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
Memento
A brilliant, fragmented puzzle that forces you to experience the protagonist's fractured memory in real-time.
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.
- 03
The Silence of the Lambs
A chilling masterclass in psychological warfare between an ambitious trainee and a brilliant, incarcerated killer.
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.
- 04
Black Swan
A visceral look at the terrifying cost of artistic perfection and the total collapse of a fragile psyche.
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".
- 05
Gone Girl
A sharp, twisted exploration of a marriage built on deception and the power of narrative manipulation.
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.
- 06
Parasite
A razor-sharp thriller where social desperation leads to an intricate and high-stakes game of survival.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 07
Se7en
A dark, methodical hunt for a serial killer that tests the psychological limits of the detectives involved.
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.
- 08
Prisoners
A grueling, high-tension search that explores how far a parent will go when pushed to their moral breaking point.
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.
- 09
Nightcrawler
A disturbing character study of a sociopathic protagonist who thrives in the high-stress world of crime journalism.
When Lou Bloom, desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.
- 10
The Machinist
A stark, atmospheric depiction of how deep-seated guilt can physically and mentally erode a person's reality.
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.
- 11
Oldboy
A brutal and emotionally intense journey through a complex web of revenge and psychological trauma.
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
- 12
Perfect Blue
A surreal and unsettling look at the blurring lines between a public persona and a crumbling private reality.
Rising pop star Mima quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.