A Glean movie guide
The Edge of Survival
Endurance is everything.
Gritty, high-stakes films where every decision is a matter of life and death.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Revenant
A visceral, gritty journey of endurance through a frozen and unforgiving wilderness.
In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.
- 02
Society of the Snow
A hauntingly realistic account of the Andes flight disaster and the extreme measures required to stay alive.
On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to take a rugby team to Chile, crashes into a glacier in the heart of the Andes.
- 03
127 Hours
A gripping, true-life race against time that explores the absolute limits of human willpower.
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
- 04
The Grey
A bleak and relentless battle for survival against the elements and a predatory pack of wolves.
Following a grueling five-week shift at an Alaskan oil refinery, workers led by sharpshooter John Ottway are flying home for a much-needed vacation. But a brutal storm causes their plane to crash in the frozen wilderness, and only eight men, including Ottway, survive. As they trek southward toward civilization and safety, Ottway and his companions must battle mortal injuries, the icy elements, and a pack of hungry wolves.
- 05
Touching the Void
A harrowing blend of documentary and drama detailing a miraculous escape from a mountain crevasse.
The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
- 06
Buried
A masterclass in suspense that traps you in a coffin for a real-time, high-stakes survival nightmare.
Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
- 07
Arctic
A focused, near-silent look at the technical and physical toll of surviving the polar tundra alone.
A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost and he must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.
- 08
The Impossible
A harrowing and emotionally charged recreation of a family’s struggle during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that devours everything in its path. Though Maria and her family face their darkest hour, unexpected displays of kindness and courage ameliorate their terror.
- 09
All Is Lost
A minimalist, dialogue-free epic that pits a lone sailor against the overwhelming power of the open ocean.
During a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, a veteran mariner awakes to find his vessel taking on water after a collision with a stray shipping container. With his radio and navigation equipment disabled, he sails unknowingly into a violent storm and barely escapes with his life. With any luck, the ocean currents may carry him into a shipping lane -- but, with supplies dwindling and the sharks circling, the sailor is forced to face his own mortality.
- 10
Fall
A vertigo-inducing thriller that turns a simple climb into a desperate fight for life atop a 2,000-foot tower.
For best friends Becky and Hunter, life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter's expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights.
- 11
The Road
A soul-crushing and gritty look at a father and son’s journey through a dying, hostile world.
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gray. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there.
- 12
13 Lives
A tense, claustrophobic account of the high-stakes mission to rescue a team trapped in a flooded cave.
Based on the true nail-biting mission that captivated the world. Twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning.