A Glean movie guide
The Modern Classics: 2021–2026
Curated for the ultimate watchlist.
The essential films that defined cinema’s most transformative half-decade.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Oppenheimer
A towering biographical thriller that captures the weight of history through a haunting lead performance.
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
- 02
Everything Everywhere All at Once
A chaotic, heart-filled multiverse adventure that redefined original storytelling for a new generation.
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.
- 03
Dune: Part Two
A visually stunning sci-fi epic that delivers massive scale and complex political intrigue.
Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
- 04
Anora
A high-energy, genre-blurring journey through Brooklyn that balances raw comedy with unexpected heartbreak.
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
- 05
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping courtroom drama that dissects a marriage with surgical precision and moral ambiguity.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 06
Past Lives
A quiet, devastatingly beautiful meditation on fate, timing, and the people we leave behind.
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
- 07
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
A breathtaking achievement in animation that pushes the boundaries of visual style and narrative depth.
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.
- 08
The Zone of Interest
A chillingly clinical look at the banality of evil, told through revolutionary sound and perspective.
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
- 09
Poor Things
A bold, surrealist odyssey of self-discovery anchored by a fearless performance and singular design.
Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
- 10
Top Gun: Maverick
A masterclass in practical action and cinematic nostalgia that revitalized the big-screen experience.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.
- 11
The Brutalist
A sweeping, ambitious epic that chronicles decades of architectural vision and immigrant survival.
When an innovative modern architect flees post-war Europe, he is given the opportunity to rebuild his legacy. Set during the dawn of the modern United States (in Pennsylvania), his wife joins him, and their lives are forever changed by a demanding, wealthy patron.
- 12
Barbie
A vibrant cultural phenomenon that uses wit and imagination to explore modern identity.
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.