A Glean movie guide
Under 90 Minutes: The Best Short Features
Big impact, small footprint.
Great movies that respect your time without sacrificing quality.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Run Lola Run
A high-octane race against time that feels as fast as its 81-minute 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.
- 02
Toy Story
The groundbreaking animation that started it all is a masterclass in efficient storytelling.
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.
- 03
Before Sunset
A romantic encounter told in near real-time that captures a lifetime of emotion in 80 minutes.
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.
- 04
What We Do in the Shadows
A hilarious mockumentary that packs more laughs into 86 minutes than most comedies twice its length.
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
Palm Springs
A clever, high-concept time-loop comedy that stays fresh and fast until the very end.
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
- 06
Phone Booth
A relentless, single-location thriller that keeps the tension high from start to finish.
A slick New York publicist who picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed... and the little red light from a laser rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding.
- 07
Stand by Me
A poignant coming-of-age classic that proves you don't need three hours to tell a legendary story.
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.
- 08
Host
An ingenious horror film shot entirely over Zoom that delivers maximum scares in under an hour.
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.
- 09
Airplane!
A legendary parody that maintains a breakneck pace of visual gags and one-liners.
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
- 10
My Neighbor Totoro
A gentle, magical escape that creates a fully realized world in just 86 minutes.
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
- 11
Shiva Baby
A claustrophobic and sharply written comedy that turns a family gathering into a high-stakes thriller.
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.
- 12
Rope
Alfred Hitchcock’s experimental murder mystery unfolds in what appears to be one continuous, tense take.
Two young men attempt to prove they committed the perfect murder by hosting a dinner party for the family of a classmate they just strangled to death.