Movie Review: ‘I Saw The TV Glow’

Review by James Lindorf

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun has been exploring the societal and personal impact of our devotion to screens and content since 2018. First, in the documentary “A Self-Induced Hallucination,” the popularity of the creepy side of the internet and the followers of Slender Man are discussed. The internet urban legend whose popularity culminated in two girls attempting to gain his favor via murder. They followed that up three years later with their first feature film, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.” The horror-adjacent narrative film follows a teen girl who gets immersed in an online game, eventually losing her sense of self and reality. Their latest film, “I Saw the TV Glow,” which was produced by A24, will continue that exploration on May 17th.

Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Bill & Ted Face the Music) star as Owen and Maddy, a pair of outcast teens who form a deep bond over their shared love for the show “The Pink Opaque.” Their story begins in their early teens with Owen being played by a second actor (Ian Foreman) when the two meet during election night at their high school. While Owen has never seen more than “The Pink Opaque” commercials due to his parents’ strict bedtime rules, Maddy has seen every episode, knows all of the lore, and has studied every episode guide. Though initially uneasy, their friendship blossoms over the years through lengthy conversations, traded notes, hidden VHS cassettes, and Owen’s willingness to lie to his parents.

No year is given for the film’s setting, but it has early ’90s vibes. “The Pink Opaque” plays on a young adult cable network before old black and white shows air in what appears to be a reference to SNICK and Nick at Nite. In the show that can be best described as a low-budget Buffy meets Power Rangers, Tara (Lindsey Jordan) and Isabel (Helena Howard) battle the evil Mr. Melancholy, who seeks to control their pink opaque powers. The show has some LGBT first-love undertones about how meeting each other at summer camp opened their eyes and minds to new possibilities. Which may have been part of the reason it was so impactful for a young Maddy who was discovering her own sexuality. While that could provide plenty of material for Schoenbrun’s exploration, it is just the surface of their screenplay. Owen represents another part of the spectrum leaning towards asexuality, once claiming that it felt like someone had used a shovel to scoop out all those parts of himself. Knowing that about him can really challenge how we perceive their first meeting, which has implications for the entire plot. Beyond the individual character traits, perhaps the film’s main point is existing as an allegory to transsexuality. As time passes and their connection to each other and the show deepens, Maddy begins to question if everything is really how the outside world perceives it or if the truth is below the surface.

These topics could have been discussed in a way that appealed to the masses. Still, it seems as if Schoenbrun was intent on going weird, possibly for the sake of being weird, like some people try to make a bad movie to get that cult status. There are weird time fluctuations and a scene at the bar where a music video interrupts the movie. It is clear that music is a significant influence for Schoenbrun. They want to tap into both the ’90s feeling, with the casting of Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, and something more modern and complex with bands like Sloppy Jane and King Woman, both of whom appear on the soundtrack and in the film.

You could argue that these were necessary elements to immerse us in the mindset of someone questioning their identity and place in the world. While “I Saw the TV Glow” is about nostalgia and bonding over pop culture, it also delves into the depths of a mysterious world beneath our own and within ourselves. The joy that comes from uncovering the truth is palpable. “I Saw the TV Glow” features striking cinematography that could easily adorn my wall. Neither Smith nor Lundy-Paine, both in their late 20s, are particularly convincing as teens, but they deliver fantastically quirky performances that are oddly subdued yet highly emotional. “I Saw the TV Glow” will deeply resonate with some audience members but often leaves you questioning production choices, and for that, it earns a 4 out of 5.

Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Screenwriter: Jane Schoenbrun
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24
Rating: PG-13 (Violent Content|Some Sexual Material|Thematic Elements|Teen Smoking)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Release Date (Theaters): May 17th, 2024
Runtime
1h 40m