‘I Saw the TV Glow’ review: Dir. Jane Schoenbrun [Sundance London]

In 2021, Jane Schoenbrun burst onto the genre scene with her mesmerising screen-life chiller, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. The film tapped into the dark undercurrent of a life lived online and got under the skin of everyone who watched it. Its hypnotic qualities and ability to easily unsettle meant that genre fans were an immediate of Schoenbrun’s and have been patiently waiting to see what her next film, I Saw the TV Glow. 

Whereas We’re All Going to the World’s Fair focused on the internet, for her follow-up, Schoenbrun turns her attention to television, most specifically the young adult TV shows of the mid – late nineties and early noughties. Told across a number of years, I Saw the TV Glow explores the hold that fictional television show, The Pink Opaque, has over two high-schoolers, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine). The pair meet when Owen is in 7th grade and Maddy is in 9th grade; they immediately connect over the TV show, despite Owen having never seen it. Maddy offers to show it to him, and after sneaking over to her house, is instantly infatuated with it. Later, Maddy disappears, and years later Owen must deal with the ramifications of events from his past. 

I Saw the TV Glow is a fitting tribute to a bygone era of media consumption. Beginning in 1996, the film is set in the latter days of the VHS age. This was a time when, if you wanted to catch a TV show, you had to watch it live, or hope your VCR timer worked. New episodes were also aired only once a week. Worse still, if you did miss an episode, you had to wait for a re-run, which could take months, if not years to materialise. That viewing culture will be foreign to the younger component of the audience, but for those that lived through this time, I Saw the TV Glow offers a beautiful hit of nostalgia. 

Importantly though, this nostalgia does not come with the typical rose-tinted spectacles. Schoenbrun is not trying to conjure up memories of how wonderful it was to be young and free from responsibility. Instead, I Saw the TV Glow is infused with teenage angst, insecurities, and aching, presenting a more accurate portrayal of just how hard it can be to survive adolescence. Another point of relation is that neither Maddy nor Owen fit in with the world around them. Both are outcasts and loners, and both have strained home environments. This is the version of their teenage years that people can relate to, and not the cheery picture that some other nostalgia driven movies bring forth. 

For Owen and Maddy, life revolves around The Pink Opaque, and as such so too does I Saw the TV Glow. At various points Owen and Maddy make way for snippets of the show to take up the screen time. These clips have been carefully curated to look and feel as authentic as the teen shows that were around then. With elements of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Roswell, and Eerie, Indiana, Schoenbrun’s fictional show could tangibly exist. The sequences pay respect and homage to these great shows of the past and its closeness to reality, always those that watched them a shorthand with the series and helps align the viewers opinion of The Pink Opaque with Owen and Maddy’s outlook. 

As with We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Schoenbrun manages to pull the audience under their spell. I Saw the TV Glow places the viewer into a trance-like state, which leads to sudden loss of time as the film is suddenly halfway through before you’ve even blinked. The ability to place consciousness onto another plane is rare and Schoenbrun possesses untold talent of distorting perceptions of time. This again feeds into elements of the plot, Schoenbrun somehow placing the viewer into Owen’s shoes. 

Visually, I Saw the TV Glow is bathed in beautiful neon hues. Care and attention has been put into every frame; this is a film that is going to benefit from repeat viewing. Whilst on a first watch the viewer can enjoy the story through its explicit elements, follow-on viewings will allow the implicit aspects to reveal themselves. Deeper meanings and connections form, with new information gleaned. At several points the screen is filled with information, too much to take in first-time around, and fans will delight in rewatching and picking through this wealth of material. Repeat viewings also present the opportunity to listen to what is easily the best soundtrack of 2024 so far, and is a must-listen-to for those that grew up during the late 90s.  

Whilst on the surface I Saw the TV Glow is a story of nostalgia and how age distorts memories, Schoenbrun’s new film once again tackles gender identities. Amongst all the 90s affectations is a stunning story about two characters embracing their queerness. Owen’s journey is one of the best trans allegories since the Wachowski’s The Matrix. Some will be oblivious to this second narrative, but as with much of I Saw the TV Glow, it is right in front of the viewer just waiting to be explored. This angle to the story is one that is vital to see represented on-screen, and should watching this film help just one person find their inner self, then Schoenbrun’s work is done. 

Another engaging, alluring and hypnotic feature from Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow has been teased as being the second part of her screen-life trilogy. With that in mind we eagerly await its conclusion. 

I Saw the TV Glow was reviewed at Sundance London.