Glassland

Glassland

Year: 2016

Runtime: 93 min

Language: English

Director: Gerard Barrett

Drama

In this gritty drama, Jack Reynor portrays John, a taxi driver desperately trying to prevent his mother Jean, played by Toni Collette, from spiraling into self-destruction. After Jean survives an overdose, John is compelled to address her damaging patterns and find a way to pay for her recovery. His search leads him into a dangerous confrontation with the criminal underworld, forcing him to confront his own difficult history along the way.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Glassland yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Glassland (2016)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Glassland (2016). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

The film appears to take place in contemporary times, reflecting current issues such as addiction and family struggles. It captures the ongoing challenges faced by individuals in a modern urban environment, emphasizing the societal pressures that contribute to personal despair.

Location

Dublin

Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and lively atmosphere. It's a city where traditional pubs, literary heritage, and historical landmarks coexist. The urban landscape reflects both the struggles and resilience of its inhabitants, especially in neighborhoods facing economic hardships.

🏙️ City 🇮🇪 Ireland

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 21:48

Main Characters – Glassland (2016)

Meet the key characters of Glassland (2016), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

John

John is a resilient taxi driver juggling his responsibilities while caring for his mother and younger brother. He exhibits a strong sense of duty and love for his family, despite the chaos surrounding them. His character grapples with his emotions, torn between hope for his mother's recovery and the frustration of unfulfilled potential.

👨‍✈️ Taxi Driver 💔 Caregiver 🤝 Determined

Jean

Jean is depicted as a complex character struggling with alcoholism and feelings of worthlessness. While she loves her son John, her addiction clouds her ability to maintain healthy relationships, leading to conflict and emotional distance. Her journey reveals layers of pain, regret, and the desire for redemption.

👩‍🔬 Alcoholic 😢 Troubled ❤️ Loving Mother

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 21:48

Major Themes – Glassland (2016)

Explore the central themes of Glassland (2016), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Family Struggles

The theme of family struggles is central to the narrative, showcasing the pain and challenges of familial relationships, especially between John and his mother. John's efforts to help his mother confront her alcoholism highlight the complexity of love and the burden of caregiving. The film poignantly addresses the sacrifices made within families when faced with addiction.

🍷 Addiction

Addiction is a pivotal theme in the film, embodied by Jean's struggle with alcoholism. The movie delves into how addiction affects not only the individual but also their loved ones, creating a cycle of despair and chaos. John's attempts to confront and change his mother's habits reveal the painful reality that many families face in dealing with substance abuse.

🧸 Isolation

Isolation is explored through Jean's feelings of abandonment and loneliness following her husband's departure. Despite her bond with John, she often feels trapped in her circumstances, seeking solace in alcohol. The film portrays how isolation can deeply impact mental health and relationships, creating barriers that can be difficult to overcome.

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 21:48

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Gritty caregiver desperation movies like Glassland

Stories of ordinary people pushed to extremes by a loved one's addiction.If you were moved by the desperate caregiving journey in Glassland, these movies explore similar stories of ordinary people pushed to their limits by a loved one's addiction. They share a heavy emotional weight, a somber tone, and a focus on the sacrifices made in the shadows.

somberdesperateanxiousheavybleakgrittyemotionally drainingrealistic

Narrative Summary

This narrative pattern follows a protagonist, often a family member, whose life becomes defined by managing another's destructive behavior. The story unfolds as a slow, cyclical battle against addiction or illness, forcing the caregiver into morally grey areas and compromising their own safety and ethics in a relentless, often thankless, effort.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the raw, unglamorous reality of caregiving under desperate circumstances. They connect through a heavy, melancholic tone, a slow, deliberate pacing that mirrors the exhausting routine of intervention, and a central theme of sacrifice that borders on self-destruction.

Bleak urban dramas with moral ambiguity like Glassland

Character-driven stories where harsh city life forces difficult, ambiguous choices.For viewers who appreciated the somber urban atmosphere and ambiguous ending of Glassland, this list features similar character-driven dramas. These movies capture a gritty, realistic feel and explore the difficult, morally grey choices people make when trapped by poverty and circumstance.

grittybleaksombermelancholicanxiousrealisticcharacter-drivenatmospheric

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist navigating a harsh, often impoverished urban landscape. The central conflict is internal and external, as the character grapples with their circumstances and is forced to make ethically compromising choices for survival or to protect others, leading to an ending that offers little clear catharsis.

Why These Movies?

This thread groups films based on their shared atmosphere of urban bleakness and thematic focus on moral ambiguity. The connection is built through a consistent melancholic tone, slow pacing that allows for atmospheric immersion, and narratives that prioritize character struggle over plot mechanics, often concluding with uncertainty.

Unlock the Full Story of Glassland

Don't stop at just watching — explore Glassland in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Glassland is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Glassland Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Glassland, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Glassland Summary

Glassland Timeline

Track the full timeline of Glassland with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Glassland Timeline

Glassland Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Glassland that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Glassland Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Glassland

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Glassland: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Glassland