SummaryTeenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
SummaryTeenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
While Schoenbrun’s film embraces its many influences, it is a distinct work that lingers in the very soul. It’s not just one of the most original American films of recent memory, but the best of the year.
I completely loved everything this film managed to do. To be so unrelentingly bleak and brutal, and still endlessly hopeful, to have all these layers and interconnected pieces of the human experience resonate in exactly the perfect frequencies with each other, is a massive accomplishment. Probably my favourite film that I've seen all year.
I should start by stating that the director's first film "We're all going to the world's fair" was an absolute killer of a debut and it's actually in my top 10 favorite films of all time. So, needless to say, I was really looking forward to this follow-up. I will agree with some critics that the main character doesn't quite have the acting chops to pull off being in 3 different eras of life, but there's just so much style and substance here that I gave that one critique a pass. I also believe that both leads are supposed to have autism, which could influence your perception of the third chapter and ending. I really loved the vibe of this movie. The buzz around the tv show (within the film) The Pink Opaque reminded me a lot of the fan buzz around Buffy The Vampire Slayer and how it became a landmark of pop culture for that early 90's era. I also really liked the underlying horror that existed just below the colorful and vibrant surface. I personally think the plot was genius and while I knew watching it, that some would not be happy with the ending (that was also a common complaint with "Late Night With The Devil" which is a masterpiece), I believe that many are missing the context of what was happening. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but the ending is very similar to the conclusion of We're All Going To The World's Fair in that what you're seeing may not actually be what's happening. In any case, uber stylish arthouse horror films like this are so few and far between that I will give this film all the praise it deserves and more! And that soundtrack! There's several scenes that place special attention on the musical performances and because they're given time to play out, they are so powerful and leave a lasting imprint. My only personal gripe was that the fathers in both children's lives were a-holes. Believe me, there's plenty of horrible, crappy mothers out there too. I should know, as my own mom was one of them,
It is at once a singular piece of pop-cult art, delivered with the brash confidence of a filmmaker who has either been told “no” too many times or not enough, and a film that could not exist without the contributions of Cronenberg and a dozen of his contemporaries and acolytes (including Donnie Darko’s Richard Kelly), their midnight visions co-opted by Schoenbrun into one slickly nostalgic neon-lit nightmare.
I Saw the TV Glow marks a remarkable progression for Schoenbrun as both writer and director, a more substantive, if still challenging, narrative married with an incredible, expanded ability to fully immerse us in the visuals they have created. It’s made with such transportive precision that I can still feel it as I write.
There’s something in Schoenbrun’s sense of style that captures the alluring yet alienating essence of screen-centered lives: the feeling of not being where one is, the feeling that what’s happening elsewhere, on those screens, is more important, even more real, than one’s own life.
The marketing and ads for this picture are misleading – this is not a horror movie, nor a comedy, nor a drama. It's a creepy 90s tone piece about how nostalgia mixed with societal alienation can hijack one's connection to their true identity. If your mind went blank during that last sentence, you probably will hate this film. Everyone else will be **** into its claustrophobic world of half-remembered nightmares.
Think "Candle Cove" by way of David Lynch, where nothing (everything?) is real, but everything (nothing?) seems to have some kind of meaning. I just wish I was a bit more in sync with the filmmaker's oblique narrative stylings because, on a visual plane, this thing rips. The colors, the set design, even the props are all evocative of an era long gone. I also really dig the implementation of analog horror and liminal space in this. For me, things fall apart when it comes to the narrative. I sense the musings on nostalgia and growing up, but the specific message is not exactly easy to grasp. Things are more or less up to the audience when it comes to pinpointing what this movie's ultimately about — something I've never really been a fan of. That said, I still appreciate all the wild, weird swings that this movie takes. Just might not have been for me in the end, though.
i have never been more bewildered by a film - the opinion of a trans man. i don’t think this film really encompasses what it needs to. i didn’t understand this film at all until i read an article. and that made me dislike the film. not because it was bad, but because the delivery was so utterly bewildering - i didn’t get the message. the way things are shown, not one thing or the other, it makes you not understand what you are watching. the message of this movie as stated in the article is astounding, and there is no film like it, and i doubt there will be another for a very, very long time. but it didn’t work for me. things are not explained to you at all in any capacity in what the message is, making a very complicated plot line that you have trouble understanding that you can’t begin to realise there is something behind it. and i know that’s the point, for everything to be confusing as it is in real life. but honestly? to me, a trans man, this film did not show me or my transness in any sense. the message of this film is that being trans or **** in small towns will suffocate you, and only by getting to your lowest, doubting yourself, and ultimately killing your old self, will you ever seem to realise that old self was never you in the first place. this is powerful, meaningful, and makes you FEEL SOMETHING. this film only made me feel an emotion more than confused. i have seen all the hype from trans people all around tiktok, and i was so excited to find out what they were so moved by! i was thinking to myself “what a powerful film, i can’t wait to watch this!”. so i went in blind, with only the praise from trans tiktokers. to say i was disappointed doesn’t express it enough. this film will make you feel like you are not watching what was recommended to you. you feel you have put the entirely wrong movie on. the entire film i was waiting for the movie to start. i was waiting for the messaging, the ****, ANYTHING. and i was met with nothing, until a slither of **** that was then wrapped up in so many metaphors that it i couldn’t decipher, and until the very end - where things weren’t so confusing that you could think “hm, is this what they were talking about?” maybe when i rewatch this with the knowledge from the article, i will like it better! some great music, PHENOMENAL cinematography, and fantastic acting! some very well known musicians and actors were on this film and i think for some this may be the best film they have ever seen, and i could see why it may be that way for them. but, honestly? i would not watch this film without reading what it is supposed to symbolise. i am very confident that not many people would understand without this context. and in my opinion, the fact you have to know the message for the movie before you start it does not make me feel like i’ve watched a film. a film is supposed to show a story and walk you through it. ISTTG shows you A story, but not THE story. in my opinion, this makes this movie, a bad movie. but you may have different opinions, it is your choice to watch this with or without the context from said article. i don’t know how i would have received this film if i had instead known the message before watching it; i might’ve loved it! but if you struggle with understanding messages in messages in messages, and then all wrapped up in something the director stated they do not want you to understand; i would highly suggest reading the article and knowing what you are looking for. the article i am mentioning is by vanity fair, please read it if you are lost after the film or you would like to understand what ISTTG is about. thanks!
Justice Smith (and earlier Ian Foreman) plays an extremely introverted character who meets a fellow student (Brigette Lundy-Paine). She introduces him to a popular sci-fi show, The Pink Opaque, and it becomes their obsession. Contrary to the trailer, this is not remotely a horror film, except on an existential level (or horrible for some audience members expecting thrills). Director Jane Schoenbrun is transgender, but instead of relating this experience with a traditional approach, they've chosen to deconstruct the film with an enigmatic, artsy angle that moves beyond logic. Yes, the characters are dealing with their own gender dysphoria, but mostly in a symbolic manner. There's plenty of confusion within their journey and with the seemingly haphazard narrative. There are elements that evidence this director has a unique vision, but the experience left me befuddled. NOTE: Director Jane Schoenbrun also directed a music video for Richmonder Lucy Dacus.