A Glean movie guide
The Art of the Dark Comedy
Laughing at the unthinkable.
From biting social satires to morbidly hilarious crime capers.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Fargo
A masterclass in Midwestern manners meeting brutal, bumbling violence.
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
- 02
In Bruges
Sharp, profane dialogue meets existential dread in this story of two hitmen in hiding.
Ray and Ken, two hit men, are in Bruges, Belgium, waiting for their next mission. While they are there they have time to think and discuss their previous assignment. When the mission is revealed to Ken, it is not what he expected.
- 03
Parasite
A razor-sharp social satire that shifts from clever deception to shocking, violent consequences.
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.
- 04
The Menu
A macabre send-up of fine-dining culture where the courses are as grim as they are creative.
A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
- 05
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
The definitive Cold War satire that finds absurdity in the threat of nuclear annihilation.
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.
- 06
American Psycho
A cynical look at 1980s yuppie culture through the eyes of a status-obsessed serial killer.
A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.
- 07
The Death of Stalin
A fast-paced political farce that finds frantic humor in the paranoia of a totalitarian regime.
When dictator Joseph Stalin dies, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains — just who is running the government?
- 08
What We Do in the Shadows
A brilliant mockumentary that treats the supernatural lives of vampires with mundane hilarity.
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
- 09
The Lobster
A surreal and deadpan exploration of societal pressure to find love at any cost.
In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into animals and sent off into The Woods.
- 10
Heathers
A stylized cult classic that skewers high school social hierarchies with a cynical, murderous edge.
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
- 11
The Banshees of Inisherin
A bleakly funny look at the self-destructive fallout of a broken friendship on a remote Irish island.
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
- 12
Shaun of the Dead
A clever "rom-zom-com" that balances genuine relationship drama with gory, slapstick zombie action.
Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.