Existential Dread 📺 📺 📺 📺 📺 out of 📺 📺 📺 📺 📺
Written and Directed by Jane Schoenbrun
Fandom, obsession, and identity are illuminated in I Saw the TV Glow.
In I Saw the TV Glow, Ian Foreman plays Owen, a 7th grader on the brink of young adulthood. When he meets Maddy, a freshman played by Brigette Lundy-Paine, the two form an unlikely friendship over a late-night TV show called “The Pink Opaque.” Maddy is obsessed with the show, but Owen has never actually seen it because it airs past his bedtime.
When Owen (now played by Justice Smith) enters high school, their friendship deepens, but so does their obsession with the show. When the show is canceled, Maddy disappears. Owen is then left sifting through old episodes on VHS tapes, wondering where Maddy went. Who is he without her?
Like Schoenbrun’s previous feature, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow is horror with a lowercase “h”. The film creates a feeling of dread that steadily builds as the film progresses, rather than relying on traditional jump scares or gore. It uses lighting, music, and vibes to make the audience uncomfortable on the entire journey. The performances by Foreman, Smith and Lundy Paine are nothing short of phenomenal.
Conclusion:
I Saw the TV Glow is a journey through the ennui of teenage life, gender identity, fandom, obsession, nostalgia, and belonging. It is an experience, not just a film.
I Saw the TV Glow is making the rounds at film festivals. It can be seen next at The Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans, LA. It will be released in theaters on May 3, 2024.
