A Glean movie guide
Short & Sweet: Great Films Under 90 Minutes
All killer, no filler.
Masterpieces that respect your time without sacrificing depth, tension, or heart.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Run Lola Run
A relentless, high-octane thriller that moves with the kinetic energy of a music video.
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.
- 02
Before Sunset
A masterclass in dialogue and chemistry that unfolds in near real-time on the streets of Paris.
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
- 03
Toy Story
The groundbreaking animation that proved a perfect story doesn't need a long runtime to leave a lasting legacy.
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.
- 04
Shiva Baby
A claustrophobic and razor-sharp comedy that turns a family gathering into a high-stakes social thriller.
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
- 05
What We Do in the Shadows
A hilarious mockumentary that finds endless wit in the mundane domestic lives of modern-day vampires.
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
- 06
Primer
A mind-bending time-travel puzzle that demands your full attention for every one of its 77 minutes.
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.
- 07
Petite Maman
A gentle and profound French fable that explores grief and childhood with incredible narrative economy.
After the death of her beloved grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly meets a strangely familiar girl her own age in the woods. Instantly forming a connection with this mysterious new friend, Nelly embarks on a fantastical journey of discovery which helps her come to terms with this newfound loss.
- 08
Rope
Alfred Hitchcock’s experimental crime drama, famously edited to appear as one continuous, tense shot.
Two young men attempt to prove they committed the perfect murder by hosting a dinner party for the family of a classmate they just strangled to death.
- 09
Perfect Blue
A haunting and visually stunning psychological thriller that blurs the line between reality and delusion.
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.
- 10
Stand by Me
A definitive coming-of-age classic that captures the bittersweet end of childhood in under 90 minutes.
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.