I Saw the TV Glow

Jane Schoenbrun's latest is a unique yet dense surrealist film

A24 has curated a style and following comparable to cult filmmakers rather than a movie studio. It’s bet on auteur-driven projects has paid off with unique films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Uncut Gems (2019), Hereditary (2018), and Moonlight (2016). Their most recent film embodies this example of unrestrained creative freedom in I Saw the TV Glow (2024).

I Saw the TV Glow is an abstract story about the recluse seventh grader Owen (Ian Foreman) who connects with a ninth grade girl, Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), over a dark teenage horror show, “the Pink Opaque.” The two grow up (Owen then played by Justice Smith) with the show as their limited interactions, however, one day Maddy disappears, leaving only a burning television set in her wake.

I Saw the TV Glow is the third feature from director Jane Schoenbrun after A Self-Induced Hallucination (2018) and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021). They are honing a unique style and tone that harkens to David Lynch’s abstract work, or that of surrealist filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel. Like those two stylistic masters, Schoenbrun forgoes a classic plot or narrative and instead delves into a dense stylistic presentation that boldly proves to be intriguing and intimidating at the same time.

I Saw the TV Glow spans decades, yet the film does not follow a typical character-centric or even plot-centric structure, instead choosing to illustrate adolescent angst, solitude, gender identity, and cultural nostalgia in abstract snippets. This makes each sequence become a piece to decipher and experience, yet it also makes the film’s stitching come apart as it becomes emotionally disjointed and inaccessible. In a cinematic culture where viewers have become accustomed to have every element of a story be translatable and spoon-fed, I Saw the TV Glow’s density can prove off-putting.

The lack of a character-centric story means the cast has to be willing to be cogs in Shcoenbrun’s vision rather than collaborators. Smith completely gives himself over and delivers an equally restrained and unhinged performance that is his best to date. After having been bogged down in bland blockbusters such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) or Detective Pikachu (2019), I’m glad that Smith is exploring more independent fare allowing him to stretch his wings. The breakout of I Saw the TV Glow, however, is Lundy-Paine, who is so dominant and indispensable in her role that she singularly plays Maddy from young high schooler and into adulthood. The ambiguity of her performance perfectly threads the doubt that Schoenbrun threads, of having viewers question whether I Saw the TV Glow is about obsession or enlightenment.

I Saw the TV Glow has a beautiful visual aesthetic, using neon and chalk paintings to establish a unique visual feel. Likewise, the sequences of “The Pink Opaque” are brilliantly wrought, bringing about not just the feeling of a 1990s show, but the memory of watching one as well. This captured nostalgia is the achievement and triumph of the film, exploring how the engrossing nature a cultural piece can have on a child, and how that passion echoes throughout one’s life flitting between a toxic anchor and inspiring motivation.

I Saw the TV Glow is another unique A24 film that showcases a growing director who is honing a distinct directing style. The film’s surrealist structure makes it rather inaccessible as it fails to thread its narrative in an emotionally resonant way, but this doesn’t take away from the respectable composition and explorations carried out by the talented technical and creative crew.

7.6/10