Midnight showings at arthouse theaters? Repeated analytical viewings? Ice cream masks? We'll see what actually becomes of it, but I feel like writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s new film I Saw the TV Glow has the potential to become something like a Donnie Darko for a new generation. Will it appeal to everyone? Absolutely not. But it’s clear that was not the intention. This feels like it was tied up with twine, wax-sealed, and hand-addressed for a specific audience. And that's beautiful. Those who’ve had to contend with dysmorphia or depression or even just an overdose of suburban malaise could very well come to treasure this the same way my generation treasured the trippy, creepy, awesomely-soundtracked Darko. Predicting what will become a "cult classic" in this sense, of course, is difficult—different things speak to different people. But this one has the elements.
This is peak A24: stylized, conceptual, rule-breaking, and colorful. It smacks of David Lynch in its unapologetic weirdness and its reality-bending environs, but it also does a nice job with internal coherence, going to some lengths, for example, to tie in shades of pink and purple in reference to the central source of intrigue in the film: a fictional TV series called “The Pink Opaque”. Time jumps around, time stops, actors stand in for different characters, and we’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s imagined. This kind of stuff can be disconcerting for the average viewer, but it seems meant to reflect the internal world of someone who’s not sure exactly who they’re supposed to be: that feeling that something isn’t quite right but you don’t know what it is.
The movie follows Owen (Ian Foreman and Justice Smith as younger and older Owen, respectively), who is out of sorts as a young teen and happens upon Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) one day who, while a little older, seems to be going through similar things. Maddy is obsessed in a classic teenager way with a relatively obscure TV show called “The Pink Opaque” wherein two girls, connected on the "psychic plane", work together to fight different creepy monsters in their county (without actually meeting in person). Meanwhile, in real life, Owen and Maddy establish a quiet friendship centered around their obsession with the show until one day Maddy, ever the bolder one, suggests running away together. From there, it gets more conceptual and disorienting, leaning into more of a Labyrinth-style allegory.
If there’s a flaw here, it’s that it’s heavy on exposition. The characters occasionally give full-on speeches to each other or address the camera directly, and there are extended musical performances as well. Artist Sloppy Jane performs a good chunk of Claw Machine as a little music video within the movie. I personally don’t mind these mid-film performances (one of my favorite movies ever is Talk to Her, which arguably has two), but few will appreciate involuntary detours.
Both of the lead actors are fantastic and able to make the characters’ darkness and discomfort feel familiar. Justice Smith’s turn as an awkward teen turned troubled grown-up is acutely painful, and you wish for him that he could go back and try again. We also get an appearance from Fred Durst as Owen’s distant father that was on exactly nobody’s bingo card, but was fun to see and yet another hit of nostalgia for older Millennials who will gleefully recognize TV tropes and scattered artifacts throughout.
I’ll be interested to see how this is received in the protracted scheme of things. It’s not exactly scary. It’s definitely not a bubble bath of quirky fun. It’s not going to be relatable for everyone. But it has something to say, it’s wholly original, and it’s visually stunning. Schoenbrun has a ton of talent and, at least from what I can gather via quick online exploration, a small but devout following too. It's exciting to have a new voice out there, and I'm all strapped in for more weirdness if they choose to make it for us.
