"I SAW THE TV GLOW" - Review

THOUGHTS ON “I SAW THE TV GLOW.”

Is I SAW THE TV GLOW a horror film? A coming-of-age high school drama? Is it about isolation? Identity? Queerness? Our toxic relationship to media? Is it the most A24 that A24 has ever A24ed?

To say that this film defies categorization doesn’t necessarily mean it belongs to the “this film defies categorization” genre. This thoughtful, mesmerizing, deeply confident and deeply weird (and yet oddly not weird) allegory is the sophomore feature film from WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR writer/director Jane Schoenbrun, and if I had to pick a genre, I’d say it belongs in the Jane Schoenbrun section.

Without giving anything away, the film follows two teenage outcasts— shy and sheltered Owen (played first by Ian Foreman, and later by Justice Smith), and brash Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine)— who bond over a late-night young adult supernatural series called The Pink Opaque, and the disruptive aftermath when Maddy goes missing at the same time the show is cancelled.

Schoenbrun wears her influences in her sleeve. YA shows such as GOOSEBUMPS, ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK, and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER factor in liberally, and are then slathered in Lynchian weirdness. These elements all blend together like a melted ice cream soup: hard to distinguish from one another, but a little sad and sweet and comforting and while you know it’s not nutritious, you’re gonna drink it and maybe even lick the bowl.

The comparisons to David Lynch here are earned—in a way, maybe even more earned than in some David Lynch films. I get the sense that Lynch sometimes puts things in his films and sort of says “wasn’t that messed up?” I never get that sense from Schoenbrun’s storytelling.

While the film never reveals all (or maybe any) of its mysteries, I know it means something very specific to Schoenbrun. The fact that she doesn’t reveal these details in any overt way is brave and generous, because it makes this dense film relatable, through mood and style, on several different levels. While I can’t speak to the experiences of those who identify as queer, this film qualifies in the category of what Roger Ebert referred to as films being “empathy machines.“ It touches on isolation, how we can use or abuse media for its nostalgic comfort to combat loneliness, and the existential terror that awaits those who are unable (or maybe even unwilling) to live into their identity.

Confused yet? That’s okay. This film is really weird and will not appeal to everyone, but if you’re willing to let it wash over you and haunt you like the last dream before you wake up, you may find a different way of understanding and relating to the “strange” and lovely people in your life, or discover something new, deep within yourself. I saw this two weeks ago and have been wrestling with my words, and even though I may fail to articulate exactly why, I think it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.

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Zach is a proud member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance (MNFCA). For more info about Zach, the organization, or to read other great reviews from other great Minnesota-based film critics, click here: https://mnfilmcriticalliance.wordpress.com/