I Saw the TV Glow Review

I Saw the TV Glow is a surreal coming-of-age drama, that serves as the second film by Jane Schoenbrun and the second part of their Screen Trilogy.

Owen (Ian Foreman/Justice Smith) is a lonely and awkward seventh grader who meets Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), a ninth-grade girl who enjoys the young adult show The Pink Opaque. After Owen watches an episode with Maddy he becomes obsessed with the show, but as he grows older, Owen’s friendship with Maddy takes a strange turn.

I Saw the TV Glow has been classed as a horror-drama but it was more of an art-house coming-of-age film. It was not a horror film, certainly not in the traditional sense. It wasn’t like other A24 horror films such as Saint Maud or Talk to Me where there was atmosphere and terror. I Saw the TV Glow was really a mix between the works of John Green’s novel, M. Night Shyamalan’s films, and Donnie Darko.

I Saw the TV Glow started as a story about two misfits finding friendship through a TV show and discovering their issues. Owen had an overly masculine father and his mother was ill whilst Maddy came out as gay and her step-father was physically abusive. When I Saw the TV Glow was focused on the pair and their friendship, it felt engrained in the culture of American indie cinema. There were lots of scenes where Owen and Maddy talked about their issues and philosophies. However, due to the dialogue, the framing, and the neon colours I thought of the American Dad parody of indie films.

The comparisons with Donnie Darko came when I Saw the TV Glow moved away from the personal relationship and showed The Pink Opaque. Maddy believes that they were really living in The Pink Opaque and they did mirror the characters on screen. Owen and Isabel (Helena Howard) were biracial and had meeker personalities. Maddy described Isabel as a drip. The other character in the show, Tara (Lindsey Jordan), was an outsider, like Maddy and both acted as mentors to their newfound friends. As the film progressed the walls between the real world and fantasy started to break down and more elements from The Pink Opaque became present. This blending of the worlds allowed Schoenbrun to showcase some kitschy, surreal imagery.

I Saw the TV Glow had ideas that would have fitted in a Shyamalan film since it was a twisty supernatural film. However, some of the bad parts of Shyamalan’s work,  mainly the expository dialogue and monologues because filmmakers wanted to prove how smart they were.

I Saw the TV Glow was a film packed with ideas. When speaking with CBR, Schoenbrun described I Saw the TV Glow as a trans story. These ideas were present. Owen said he always felt like an outsider and did not belong anywhere. He stated he had no friends. Throughout the film, there was a lingering presence of masculinity. Owen’s dad was a dominating personality and when he asked if he could stay up late to watch The Pink Opaque, the dad said ‘Isn’t that a girls’ show.’ Owen was hiding his interest in the show from his parents with a notable scene where Owen tries to wash off a pink drawing from the back of his neck. Owen was awkward around his male work colleagues, especially after walking in on having sex. There was even a little reference to masculine culture when Owen walked past a wall with the quote “Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body.” Finally, Owen’s mirror in The Pink Opaque was female. He was a softly-spoken person, even after his growth spurt from the seventh grade to the ninth grade.

I Saw the TV Glow also acted as a mental health story. Owen and Maddy were kids struggling to process their issues without outside support. As the film progresses, Owen’s sense of reality becomes distorted, leading to desperate, disturbing behaviour. As stated, Owen felt awkward and different and this could be interpreted as him having depression or a condition like autism. The main villain in The Pink Opaque was called Mr. Melancholy and melancholia was an old-fashioned term for depression.

I Saw the TV Glow did tickle the nostalgia bones. The Pink Opaque had the vibes of a ‘90s American show. The Pink Opaque was clearly a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer since that was a female-led fantasy show that had a monster of the week structure. There was a bit of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in The Pink Opaque because of the monster of the week structure with a bad guy sending in new monsters. It was a blast from the past to see Owen using VHS tapes and the film showed the evolution of media consumption.

The film did show the perils of nostalgia. Both characters were obsessed with the show and they ended up taking their obsession too far, especially Maddy. Owen experienced moments of looking back with rose-tinted glasses and suffered some adult realisations.

I Saw the TV Glow was easy to admire because of its themes but does not engage because of its storytelling approach. Schoenbrun went for a loose, mood type of storytelling, which can make a film impenetrable. It certainly had a marmite quality with its visual metaphor and long ponderous conversations. It led to I Saw the TV Glow becoming dull at points and it was hard to become emotionally invested. It wasn’t like the works of Bong Joon-ho, a filmmaker who has been able to make entertaining stories whilst incorporating bigger themes.

I Saw the TV Glow was an acquired taste and it was not one for me. It had deep themes but a lacklustre narrative, limiting its appeal to a niche audience.