Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, a teenager is trying to survive life in the suburbs when a classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night television show. Starring: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Danielle Deadwyler, Fred Durst and Conner O’Malley.
You can tell from simply the posters for I Saw the TV Glow what sort of aesthetically pleasing world you’re about to walk into, and it doesn’t disappoint. There’s a fantastically curious atmosphere to welcome you into its neon-tinged, colourful yet dark adventure. Even if you didn’t enjoy the story that unfolds, it would be hard to argue that Jane Schoenbrun’s direction and Eric Yue’s cinematography are not excellent.
That brilliant aesthetic quality strongly sets the tone for what’s to come and allows the story to say plenty, without saying anything. Schoenbrun adds such a compelling air of abuse, sadness and loneliness to I Saw the TV Glow before we even really get to know the characters. Which then gives Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine the space to expand on those issues and add depth to them, and they do it well.
Smith is a great actor but he doesn’t always end up in the right projects to showcase it and I Saw the TV Glow is a good example of the type of unusual, strange project where he can make his mark. Especially, when he’s supported by Ian Foreman who is exceptional in playing the younger version of Smith’s Owen. He gives a charming, warm introduction to a gradually unravelling character, the progression of which is done really well.
While Smith gives us a better view of loneliness, Lundy-Paine gives us an interesting blend of strength and desperation. There’s something so vulnerable about her portrayal of Maddy and yet she’s determined and independent. These intriguing personalities build the heart around which Schoenbrun can explore strange and bizarre territory. Without that foundation, I Saw the TV Glow would have become completely unmoored by its eccentricities.
The style is utterly imaginative, it’s a unique foray into horror, which isn’t quite horror but at the same time some of it perfectly is. What makes that back and forth between genre is the way that it plays with darkness and reality, Schoenbrun completely blurs the lines to simultaneously make you question everything and simply let it take you along for the ride. Although if you’re the type of viewer that wants answers, this one is not going to be for you.
I Saw the TV Glow is unique, filled with a captivatingly bizarre imagination and an exceptional aesthetic. Weird would be too simple of a description when the story feels surprisingly complex. Often when filmmakers go down rabbit holes, like the one we find here, they lose the human connection but here, it strongly captures those feelings of loneliness, sadness and being lost. It’s always a pleasure, and quite rare these days, to be given a new experience so even if you were to forget everything else, the filmmakers deserve plenty of credit for that alone.
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