A Glean movie guide
The Gold Standard: Award-Winning Dramas
The best of the best.
Critically acclaimed masterpieces that defined cinema and moved audiences worldwide.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Godfather
The definitive crime saga that transformed the genre with its complex characters and operatic storytelling.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
- 02
Schindler's List
A profound and essential historical drama documenting the power of humanity in the face of unimaginable horror.
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
- 03
Parasite
A razor-sharp social thriller that masterfully blends dark humor with a devastating critique of class.
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
Oppenheimer
A sweeping historical epic that captures the tension and moral weight of the atomic age.
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
- 05
Moonlight
A visually stunning and deeply intimate portrait of identity told through three defining chapters of a life.
The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
- 06
No Country for Old Men
A haunting and relentless pursuit through the Texas desert that redefines the modern western thriller.
Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.
- 07
Everything Everywhere All at Once
A wildly imaginative journey that uses a chaotic multiverse to explore the core of family and kindness.
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what's important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.
- 08
12 Years a Slave
A visceral and unflinching look at history that demands attention through its powerful performances.
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
- 09
Spotlight
A gripping, meticulously crafted procedural that honors the high-stakes world of investigative journalism.
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
- 10
Nomadland
A quiet, poetic exploration of grief and resilience set against the vast landscapes of the American West.
A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.