A Glean movie guide
Short & Sweet: Great Movies Under 90 Minutes
No filler, all killer.
High-impact cinema that respects your time without sacrificing quality.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Toy Story
A groundbreaking adventure that proves heart and humor don't need a long runtime to leave a lasting impact.
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.
- 02
Before Sunset
A breathtakingly intimate conversation that captures a lifetime of longing in near real-time.
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
Run Lola Run
A high-octane, stylistic sprint that reinvents the thriller with every passing second of its kinetic runtime.
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.
- 04
What We Do in the Shadows
A riotously funny mockumentary that finds endless charm in the mundane domestic lives of ancient 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.
- 05
Paths of Glory
A searing, economical anti-war masterpiece that remains one of cinema's most powerful and focused dramas.
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
- 06
Primer
A dense and rewarding puzzle box that packs more complexity into 77 minutes than most three-hour epics.
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
Shiva Baby
A claustrophobic and hilariously uncomfortable comedy of errors that never lets up the pressure.
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.
- 08
Petite Maman
A gentle, magical exploration of childhood and grief that feels like a warm, fleeting memory.
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.
- 09
Airplane!
A relentless barrage of sight gags and puns that remains the gold standard for cinematic parody.
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
- 10
Rashomon
A revolutionary mystery that explores the subjective nature of truth through a single, haunting event.
Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
- 11
Host
A lean, terrifying supernatural thriller that uses its brief runtime to deliver maximum, modern scares.
Six friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during lockdown — but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realise they might not survive the night.
- 12
Stand by Me
A nostalgic and deeply moving journey that perfectly captures the bittersweet end of childhood innocence.
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.