Written by: Jane Schoenbrun
Starring: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Conner O’Malley
Rating: [2.5/5]
Presentation matters mightily when crafting a film where you can have all the best intentions in crafting something thematically resonant. However, how the plot progresses matter greatly and if these two elements do not match up together it can create a mismatch that leads to frustration. That pretty much summarizes the experience of watching I Saw the TV Glow where I can appreciate what it wants to say, but not care for how it all comes together as a feature film.
Bonding over a young adult television show called “The Pink Opaque,” Maddy (Jack Haven) and Owen (Ian Foreman) experience a common feeling about something not being right regarding their circumstances. After Maddy’s disappearance, years later an older Owen (Justice Smith) encounters her again where she poses a similar question she originally asked in the past.
Nothing but conflicting feelings arise when thinking about I Saw the TV Glow, a feature that felt difficult to crack with no discernible reason why. It touches upon various things through its narrative including elements of nostalgia and how individuals can find themselves through the consumption of media. That sits on top of the obvious where this story lies as a tale of the path one takes when deciding whether they will transition. While films serve as the ultimate empathy machine, there were elements of this film that just did not click with me. One critical source of that comes from this film’s reliance on certain pop culture references that one may not connect with without prior knowledge.
This mostly appears in the strong references this feature has to the popular 90s TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Now, as someone who has not even seen a singular scene of that show, having it inform much of what this film does completely left me out of the loop. The only reason I even know of the film’s connection to that series was myself reading reviews after feeling dumbfounded at the conclusion trying to figure out what I missed. Now, this can lead to a larger discussion of what level of knowledge an audience member needs to have in understanding references and what responsibility does the filmmaker have in relying on seeing another source media to fully connect with theirs. So while others picked up on these things right away, it did leave me gasping for air as to what it all culminates towards and certainly impacted my enjoyment of the final product.
Through our main characters of Owen and Maddy we have two individuals who both find comfort with each other and the show they both consume. They also find themselves at a crossroads with their identity and the leap of faith they must take to feel fully realized within their own bodies. The allegory for the trans coming out experience sit squarely at the center of this entire story and while I can appreciate thematically how the allegory operates this film manages to tell it in such a dull manner that never allowed to fully connect with the film.
Another element that certainly does not help is how much this film relies on Justice Smith as a lead character. There has yet been a film that featured Justice Smith where I felt he was a positive element of it. The man knows how to suck the excitement out of any room, which in a way made him perfect for the overall tone and momentum of this film but it certainly did not help in making it anymore engaging. Unfortunately, it made it even more apparent for me that any other film I see with his name attached to it means I should run far in the other direction.
Beyond disappointing with the high hopes I had going into this one, especially after the promise Jane Schoenbrun displayed in their feature debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair that had its own issues but conveyed its points more proficiently. It has all the good intentions in the world and I can dig what it wanted to do thematically but in the end I cannot deny that I found myself completely disengaged in the way this story gets told and its distinct lack of energy.
Films with Josh 
