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I Saw the TV Glow

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I Saw the TV Glow
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJane Schoenbrun
Written byJane Schoenbrun
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEric K. Yue
Edited bySofi Marshall
Music byAlex G
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • January 18, 2024 (2024-01-18) (Sundance)
  • May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5 million[2][3]

I Saw The TV Glow is a 2024 American horror drama film written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun. It stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, with Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Conner O'Malley, Emma Portner, Ian Foreman, Fred Durst, and Danielle Deadwyler in supporting roles. The film follows two troubled young friends whose connection to their favorite television show drives them to question their reality and identities. Married couple Emma Stone and Dave McCary (under their Fruit Tree banner) are among the film's producers.

I Saw The TV Glow premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024. It was given a limited theatrical release by A24 in the United States on May 3, 2024, with its theatrical release expanding to Canada and nationwide in the US on May 17, and received positive reviews from critics.

The film marks the second entry into what Schoenbrun refers to as their Screen Trilogy, which consists of previous film We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) and an as-of-yet unnamed TV project.[4]

Plot

In 1996, Owen, an isolated seventh grader, meets Maddy, a ninth grader, when he notices her reading an episode guide for the young adult show The Pink Opaque. The show follows teenagers Isabel and Tara as they use their psychic connection to fight monsters of the week sent by the Big Bad, Mr. Melancholy. Owen sneaks over to Maddy's to watch a new episode with her and her friend Amanda, finding himself captivated by it.

Two years later, Owen's mother Brenda is terminally ill. Owen is unable to watch The Pink Opaque live due to his bedtime curfew and his father Frank deriding it as "for girls", so Maddy tapes the episodes for him to watch later. Owen approaches Maddy to ask if she would like to watch an upcoming episode together. Maddy reveals that she is a lesbian, is no longer friends with Amanda, and has been ostracized at school after a rumor circulated that she grabbed Amanda's breast. When asked about his sexuality, Owen expresses that he is uncertain but has nonetheless noticed that there is "something wrong" with himself. Later, at Maddy's house, Owen notices her crying while watching the episode. Maddy explains that she has resolved to run away to escape her abusive stepfather. She invites Owen to join her, but he loses his nerve and stays. Brenda eventually dies, Maddy goes missing, and The Pink Opaque is canceled after five seasons.

Eight years later, Owen still lives with Frank and works at a local movie theater. Maddy reappears one night and takes Owen to a bar outside of town. She tells him that she disappeared into the show itself, prompts him to remember the show's finale and to meet up the next night at the high school after he has done so. In that last episode, Isabel and Tara have their hearts removed by Mr. Melancholy, are fed his poisonous "luna juice" and then buried alive. The episode's ending suggests to Owen that he is a dying Isabel, and with the closing credits appearing on the TV screen, Owen panics and shoves his head through the screen. Frank pulls him out of the broken TV set and forces him to wash himself, while Owen screams "This isn't my home! You're not my father!" and vomits luna juice.

The next night, Maddy explains to Owen that after leaving, the feelings of isolation and falsehood she felt at home followed her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she got a job at a shopping mall, so she paid a man to bury her alive. After suffocating, she awoke in The Pink Opaque as Tara, her real self. She claims that the world around Maddy and Owen was always Mr. Melancholy's "midnight realm", a deceptive world where time passes quickly as Tara and Isabel, their real selves, were dying buried in The Pink Opaque. After being unable to find where Isabel was buried in The Pink Opaque, Maddy has returned to save Owen/Isabel before they suffocate, and urges Owen to bury himself with her in order to return to The Pink Opaque and start season six. Owen loses his nerve again and runs home, never seeing Maddy again. He remains haunted by the possibility he is meant to have a different life.

Frank dies of a stroke a few years later and Owen stays in the house, claiming to have started a family. He works at a family entertainment center and rediscovers The Pink Opaque on a streaming service, but finds it to be cheesier and more childish than he remembers. Twenty years later, he still works at the center and has grown miserable and physically weaker due to his worsening asthma. During a birthday party at the center, he breaks down, screaming for help and claiming that he is dying, but the workers and guests freeze without giving any response or signs that they have noticed him. He locks himself in the bathroom and cuts his chest open, smiling as he sees a glowing TV screen inside. He returns outside, apologizing to the indifferent guests for his breakdown and saying that it has been caused by his new medication.

Cast

Appearing as themselves in the film are Phoebe Bridgers, Haley Dahl and their band Sloppy Jane, as well as Kristina Esfandiari and her band King Woman.

Themes

Lundy-Paine cited I Saw the TV Glow as an allegory for being transgender.[5] Schoenbrun has frequently described the film as being about the "egg crack", a term for the moment in a trans person's life when they realize their identity does not correspond to their assigned gender,[6][7][8] and said Owen's choice to not bury himself alive with Maddy and ultimate existential crisis was illustrative of their personal fears of potentially living out their life without having transitioned.[9] In a June 2024 profile of themself published in The New Yorker, Schoenbrun discussed how their relationship with their family had influenced the film's story, saying:[9]

TV Glow is about something I think a lot of trans people understand ... The tension between the space that you exist within, which feels like home, and the simultaneous terror and liberation of understanding that that space might not be able to hold you in your true form. I think many people, even if they are sympathetic to narratives of biological-family estrangement, still want to believe in resolution or restorative reparative work. And I think this does a disservice to queer people who are not in control of whether that work can be done.

I Saw the TV Glow is heavily influenced by[10][11] and draws parallels to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), including its use of The Pink Opaque, which features similar elements like strong female leads and a mix of mythic and monster of the week episodes. Owen is introduced to this "Buffy-esque" show that becomes a refuge for him until its narrative starts affecting his reality as the story explores loneliness and the search for something real through a fixation. The cameo by Benson, who played lesbian character Tara on Buffy, "felt healing in a way" for Schoenbrun,[11] who relied on the show as a coping mechanism during adolescence.[12] The narrative diverges by airing on a children's network and incorporating a magical realism akin to The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1991–1996).[13] Maronna and Tamberelli, lead actors of Pete & Pete, star as ghostly neighbors to explore the uncanny nature of aging. Schoenbrun emphasized that the cameos are not mere Easter eggs but are meant to deepen the film's ideas.[12]

The Pink Opaque continues the Pete & Pete effect by taking up the theme of children living in a "semi-magical, frequently scary" world unnoticed by adults. As the main characters lose or find themselves in the show, Owen's story becomes a demonstration of "what happens to a trans person when the world makes the prospect of transitioning too terrifying to ever look at straight-on".[13] Owen and Maddy represent pre- and post-realization stages of identity, mirroring Schoenbrun's own journey of self-discovery. It delves into how people perceive media differently as they grow, with changes in tone reflecting shifts in understanding, and feelings of shame and dysphoria.[14] Owen experiences a sense of claustrophobia and disconnection from reality, mirroring the struggle to retain one's sense of wonder and magic in the face of adulthood. The film ends with Owen when the "world is content to ignore his screams that something inside of him is dying", and highlights the importance of "a little magic, borrowed from art, is one of the only ways to survive, and to remind yourself that—as the film's most haunting line reminds us—there is still time."[13]

The film also draws inspiration from Schoenbrun's recurring dream about Twin Peaks (1990–91) and aims to capture a "Lynchian terror".[11] Inspired by its follow-up Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), the film intertwines themes of TV series endings and revivals.[12]

Production

Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun in 2024

Schoenbrun began work on the script for I Saw the TV Glow three months after they had begun undergoing hormone replacement therapy, amid what they described as "overwhelming calamity" following having come out as transgender. In featuring the transgender themes, Schoenbrun deliberately avoided making transitioning or coming out explicitly central to the plot, opting instead to write the story as an allegory so as to distinguish it from other films on the topic.[9]

In 2021, the script caught the attention of Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCary, who, according to Schoenbrun, "fell in love with the script immediately." The script was shopped around to six potential production partners.[9] In October 2021, the film was announced as an A24 production, with Schoenbrun directing and Stone and McCary producing under their production company Fruit Tree.[15] In August 2022, it was announced Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard, Danielle Deadwyler, Amber Benson, Ian Foreman, Conner O'Malley, Emma Portner, Danny Tamberelli, Phoebe Bridgers, Lindsey Jordan, Fred Durst, Haley Dahl, and Kristina Esfandiari had joined the cast.[16][17]

Principal photography took place in New Jersey from July to August 2022.[18][19][20] Shooting took place at Verona High School, Cedar Grove High School and Keansburg Amusement Park. Other notable locations were the music venue The Saint and Camp Lewis.[20]

Music

Main articles: I Saw the TV Glow (soundtrack) and I Saw the TV Glow (score)

The film's original score was composed by Alex G. The film features an original soundtrack that includes songs from Caroline Polachek, Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, Kristina Esfandiari, Florist, yeule, and Drab Majesty among others. The soundtrack was released on May 10, 2024, followed by Alex G’s score which was released on May 16.[21]

Release

I Saw the TV Glow premiered in the Midnight section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024.[22] It also screened at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section on February 20, 2024,[23] and South by Southwest on March 10, 2024.[24][25]

The film was released in select theaters in the United States on May 3, 2024 (playing in New York City and Los Angeles),[26] with its release expanding nationwide and to Canada on May 17.[27] It was made available digitally in June 2024.[28] It will be theatrically released internationally by Stage 6 Films, including Australia and New Zealand on August 29, 2024,[29][30] with exception of the United Kingdom, where it will be released by Park Circus Films on July 26.[31]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 184 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "With a distinctive visual aesthetic that enhances its emotionally resonant narrative, I Saw the TV Glow further establishes writer-director Jane Schoenbrun as a rising talent."[32] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[33]

Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "This is both promising psychodrama fodder on its own terms, and of a piece with the particular fixations Schoenbrun has established across their small oeuvre thus far".[34] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote, "Schoenbrun's astonishing second feature manages to retain the seductive fear of their micro-budget debut and deepen its thrilling wounds of discovery even while examining them at a much larger scale".[35] Some reviewers also praised the film for the authenticity with which it conveyed transgender themes, with Richard Brody for The New Yorker calling it "a profound vision of the trans experience" and Veronica Esposito for The Guardian saying it "speaks to '90s trans teens".[36][37]

Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times criticized the film as a "collection of leaden scenes that might make the audience want to claw out of its own skin", noting that it "invents a new emotion: passionate ambivalence."[38] Nicolas Rapold of Sight & Sound agreed, writing "There's the awed sense of a blueprint or roadmap that is insisted upon without entirely being executed and fulfilled" adding "[it] is a collection...of sequences and moments more than a fully realised whole."[39] Dylan Roth of Observer acknowledged this discomfort, noting "My challenge with I Saw the TV Glow is that almost everything I dislike about it is done on purpose, and effectively. As a piece of art, I can’t deny that it works."[40]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Astra Midseason Movie Awards July 3, 2024 Best Picture I Saw the TV Glow Nominated [41]
[42]
Best Actor Justice Smith Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Brigette Lundy-Paine Nominated
Best Screenplay Jane Schoenbrun Nominated
Best Indie I Saw the TV Glow Nominated
Champs-Élysées Film Festival June 26, 2024 Audience Award for Best American Independent Feature I Saw the TV Glow Won [43]
Seattle Film Critics Society May 19, 2024 Feature Film Award I Saw the TV Glow Won [44]

References

  1. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow (15)". BBFC. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 19, 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow". The Numbers. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Chapman, Wilson (April 14, 2022). "Director Jane Schoenbrun on the Extremely Online, Gender Dysphoric Coming-of-Age Journey in 'We're All Going to the World's Fair'". Variety. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Dick, Jeremy (May 19, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow Stars Address Trans Allegories of A24 Film". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Adams, Sam (May 7, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow Is a Movie About How Fandom Could Save Your Life—or Ruin It". Slate. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Earl, William (January 19, 2024). "'I Saw the TV Glow' Is Director Jane Schoenbrun's Honest, Surreal Exploration of Trans Identity — And A24's Boldest Horror Movie Yet". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Barquin, Juan (May 9, 2024). "Jane Schoenbrun". Reverse Shot. Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Seidlitz, Holden (June 10, 2024). "Jane Schoenbrun Finds Horror Close to Home". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Kay, Jeremy (February 18, 2024). "How 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' helped inspire Sundance hit 'I Saw The TV Glow'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024. A major influence was cult US TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997-2003. 'It was an obsession and a real balm for me in my adolescent years,' they reflect. 'I rewatched my tapes over and over again, and like Owen and Maddy do with The Pink Opaque, I thought of the characters like family. Buffy will always be an influence on everything I create.'
  11. ^ a b c Zuckerman, Esther (May 3, 2024). "Jane Schoenbrun Saw the TV Glow". Vulture. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Robinson, Tasha (May 10, 2024). "A small, important cameo in I Saw the TV Glow is meant as justice for Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Polygon. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "I Saw The TV Glow boldly channels the melancholy magic of The Adventures Of Pete & Pete". The A.V. Club. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (May 21, 2024). "For the director of I Saw the TV Glow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was just the start". The Verge. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 7, 2021). "A24 And Emma Stone's Fruit Tree Banner Reunite On Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw The TV Glow". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys (August 24, 2022). "Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine Starring in A24 Horror Thriller I Saw the TV Glow (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2022). "Phoebe Bridgers and Helena Howard Join Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow at A24". IndieWire. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  18. ^ Schoenbrun, Jane [@janeschoenbrun] (July 12, 2022). "It's real!! We are making an @A24 movie this summer!!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Schoenbrun, Jane [@janeschoenbrun] (August 17, 2022). "That's a wrap :-)" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b Kuperinsky, Amy (February 28, 2024). "See trailer for I Saw the TV Glow, an A24 horror movie filmed in N.J." NJ.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  21. ^ Keates, Emma (April 25, 2024). "A24 shares new song from stellar I Saw The TV Glow soundtrack". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  23. ^ Ntim, Zac (December 14, 2023). "Berlin: Saoirse Ronan, Danielle Deadwyler & Paapa Essiedu Titles Set For Panorama Sidebar". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow, SXSW 2024 Schedule". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2024). "SXSW 2024 Second Wave Includes Pics With Sydney Sweeney, Nicolas Cage, Camila Mendes & 'Monkey Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  26. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (February 28, 2024). "'I Saw the TV Glow' Trailer: Jane Schoenbrun Channels David Lynch and Late-Night Cable Nightmares for A24 Horror Movie". IndieWire. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  27. ^ I Saw The TV Glow [@tvglowmovie] (April 19, 2024). "Follow the glow 📺 Jane Schoenbrun's groundbreaking horror #ISawTheTVGlow opens in NY/LA theaters May 3, nationwide May 17. Get tickets now" (Tweet). Retrieved April 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Egan, Toussaint (June 14, 2024). "Netflix's Ultraman: Rising, I Saw the TV Glow, and every movie new to streaming this week". Polygon. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "I Saw the Tv Glow - Event Cinemas". Event Cinemas. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  30. ^ "I Saw the Tv Glow - Event Cinemas". Event Cinemas. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  31. ^ Sarrubba, Stefania (July 1, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow finally confirms UK release date". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 22, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  33. ^ "I Saw the TV Glow". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  34. ^ Lodge, Guy (January 19, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow Review: Jane Schoenbrun's Eerie Ode to Adolescent Television Obsessions". Variety. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  35. ^ Ehrlich, David (January 19, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow Review: Jane Schoenbrun's Second Feature Is a Haunting Look at What We See in Our Media". IndieWire. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  36. ^ Brody, Richard (May 3, 2024). "'I Saw the TV Glow' Is a Profound Vision of the Trans Experience". The New Yorker.
  37. ^ Esposito, Veronica (May 4, 2024). "Nostalgia horror I Saw the TV Glow speaks to 90s trans teens like me". The Guardian. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  38. ^ Nicholson, Amy (May 2, 2024). "Review: 'I Saw the TV Glow' gets stranded in a glum gaze from which it never stirs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  39. ^ Rapold, Nicolas (January 30, 2024). "I Saw the TV Glow: a rough portrait of fanatical obsession". Sight & Sound. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Roth, Dylan (May 6, 2024). "'I Saw the TV Glow' Review: Moody, Interesting, No Fun". Observer. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  41. ^ "Hollywood Creative Alliance Announces the Nominees for the 2024 Astra Midseason Movie Awards" (Press release). Hollywood Creative Alliance. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  42. ^ "Hollywood Creative Alliance Announces the Winners for the 2024 Astra Midseason Movie Awards" (Press release). Hollywood Creative Alliance. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  43. ^ "The Winners of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival 2024". Sortir à Paris. Manon de Sortiraparis. June 26, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  44. ^ "'I Saw the TV Glow' wins SFCS's inaugural SIFF 2024 Award". Seattle Film Critics Society. May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
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