I escaped this summer’s record-breaking heat (and my air conditioner-less house) by frequently going to the movie theater, and one new release stood out to me: Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature “I Saw the TV Glow.”
I remember seeing people logging the movie on Letterboxd during its premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival back in January, but the trailer had not dropped yet. All I knew was that Brigette Lundy-Paine would be starring in the movie alongside Justice Smith and that was convincing enough to add it to my watchlist.
When the trailer finally came out at the end of February, a clip of Lundy-Paine’s character Maddy asking Smith’s character Owen about his sexuality went viral.
Maddy: I like girls. You know that, right? I’m not into boys.
Owen: I wasn’t … I … Totally. That’s fine.
Maddy: Okay. I’m just making sure. What about you? Do you like girls?
Owen: I don’t … I don’t know.
Maddy: Boys?
Owen: I … I think that I like TV shows.
There was a limited theatrical release but I kept seeing reviews and edits of the movie on TikTok to “Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” by yeule from the soundtrack, which only made me want to see it more. And for all the Pharbz out there, Phoebe Bridgers also has a song on the soundtrack and is in one of the scenes.
According to IMDb, the film grossed $119,015 during the opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada and grossed $5.3 million worldwide during its time in theaters, which feels on par for a limited release.
I ended up driving 90 miles to see it at The Main Cinema in Minneapolis. It’s unfortunate that none of the Micon Cinemas in Eau Claire were showing “I Saw the TV Glow,” but this is the kind of film that feels like it should be seen in an indie movie theater.
The movie begins on Election Night in 1996 when a seventh-grade Owen (Ian Foreman) tags along with his mom to vote. He wanders away and finds ninth-grade Maddy reading the official episode guide for “The Pink Opaque,” a 90’s sci-fi supernatural drama that starts past his bedtime.
The fictional TV show follows two teenagers, Isabel (Helena Howard) and Tara (Lindsey Jordan), who meet at a sleepaway camp and discover they have a psychic connection during the pilot episode. They live on opposite sides of their county but work together telepathically to fight the main villain Mr. Melancholy and all the ‘Monster of the Week’ he sends their way.
The style of “The Pink Opaque” feels reminiscent of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Goosebumps,” and makes me nostalgic for the time when you had to wait a week for a new episode of your favorite show. I showed up to the theater wearing “The Pink Opaque” pink, but I guess no one else was bringing the energy they brought for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” last summer.
In the movie, Maddy invites Owen to watch “The Pink Opaque” with her but it is one of the only times the characters watch the show together because of his standoffish demeanor and strict bedtime. So Maddy starts taping episodes for him and their only interaction for two years is handing off the tapes.
The scene of the pair reuniting after two years may have been what went viral, but I think what Owen says next shows off Schoenbrun’s screenwriting.
Owen: When I think about that stuff, it feels like someone … took a shovel and dug out all my insides. And I know there’s nothing in there, but I’m still too nervous to open myself up and check. I know there’s something wrong with me. My parents know it too, even if they don’t say anything. Do you ever feel like that?
But Maddy, who seemed unphased by his inner turmoil said, “Maybe you’re like Isabel. Afraid of what’s inside you.” Schoenbrun sets up their character dynamics through Maddy and Owen’s self-insert characters. Like Tara, Maddy “doesn’t take s— from anybody.
The turning point of the movie is when Maddy disappeared and all that was left was her TV set burning in the yard. And on top of that “The Pink Opaque” gets canceled. What’s Owen supposed to do now?
This isn’t the kind of horror movie with jumpscares or monsters, the real horror here is the idea of being unable to accept who you are and live your life authentically. Sure, there’s still time but will you use it?
I ended up giving “I Saw the TV Glow” five stars on Letterboxd. There are some movies that within the first few minutes I know that I will adore it and this was one of those. Reece Feldman, an actor and production assistant, said he wants to see an adaptation of “The Pink Opaque” and I wholeheartedly agree.
I’m genuinely obsessed with the aesthetics and cinematography of this movie. Schoenbrun uses a limited color palette of bright pinks, blues and purples, which makes everything intentionally not within that palette feel dull in comparison.
And interestingly enough the use of pink, blue and purple lighting simultaneously is called bisexual lighting and is often used deliberately to visually represent queer characters.
“I Saw the TV Glow” isn’t streaming yet, but it is available to digitally rent or buy on A24, Apple TV, Vudu and YouTube.
If you’re already a fan of Schoenbrun’s work, check out their first feature “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (2021), a horror movie which also includes queer and transgender themes. I haven’t seen it yet but trust that I will eventually.
Kasper can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Letterboxd.
