Identity, Nostalgia, And Media: “I Saw The TV Glow” Review
“It was raining last night and I couldn’t sleep. So I started my favourite TV show again.” I Saw The TV Glow’s introductory lines echos a sentiment most of us are familiar with. Nostalgia, as often commented, is a hell of a drug. Just as one might pop pain relievers or relaxers, returning to memories of the past allows for passive escapism from the now and its problems.
Returning to nostalgic media has become a popular comfort for many young people and with the rise of streaming, it is much more accessible. Without the ability to return to the places of our childhood, these shows and movies can transport us mentally to those times. What I Saw The TV Glow examines, however, is how nostalgia can haunt.
An Exciting Newcomer in Direction
Typically identified as the pinnacle of independent production companies, A24’s connection to I Saw the TV Glow is no surprise. Previous partnerships with directors like Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Rose Glass have established it as a clear move for directors of surreal horror. These films have blended absurdity and imagination to create complex stories with jaw-dropping cinematography and effects.
While working in the industry for over a decade, Director Jane Schoenbrun’s first feature-length film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, debuted in 2018. Previously, they had worked on documentaries and short films as a director, producer, and writer. Though only two films into their career, Schoenbrun has already established themself as a provocative and unique auteur. Their style consists of stunning visuals, themes of identity, and an emphasis on the subtleties of horror. With the success of I Saw the TV Glow, it’s expected that Schoenbrun will become another addition to A24’s distinctive selection of directors.
The Focus on the Individual
Like Schoenbrun’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow insists upon its themes of self-identity, sacrificing a large cast for only two substantial characters. Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, All the Bright Places) carries the film through a relatively solitary performance. Meek, sheltered, and insecure, Smith’s character of Owen shines through a subtle performance of anxiety and longing. A ninth grader, Owen only finds belonging in the fictionalised teen show “The Pink Opaque.” The show is reminiscent of late 90s shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a shading of early Internet horror. Yet Owen is obstructed from watching it because it conflicts with his early bedtime and it being “a show for girls.”
These parental impediments ultimately lead to his burgeoning friendship with the school outcast, Maddy, played by Brigette Lundy-Paine (Atypical). As the pair begin to bond over “The Pink Opaque”, they reveal deeper insights into each other’s identities. This is until Maddy goes missing and Owen must once again fully conceal his true self.
Smith and Lundy-Paine perfectly play opposite each other as two young teens attempting to find themselves. Yet, the two portray a delicate fear of fully disclosing themselves to the other. Through these performances, the pair’s odd friendship exhibits an intense intimacy, both knowing the wants of the other but never able to truly admit it to themselves.
The Message in Music
If one can not get out to the theatre to see this movie just yet, the second best thing in the meantime is to listen to its soundtrack. Schoenbrun organised a diverse collection of indie artists for the film’s soundtrack, with the songs unifying in their stirring performances.
Alex G composed the score while indie artists crowded the film’s reflective scenes. As stated by Schoenbrun, they chose these artists intending to create an “overarching rubric of making the last great ’90s teen-angst movie soundtrack that never actually existed”.
The music isn’t just contained to the non-diegetic. Instead, full performances by Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, and King Woman offer a backdrop to the film’s climax, heightening its emotionality. Along with wanting to create a great soundtrack, Schoenbrun was intentional in choosing queer artists to spotlight their absence in other films as well as emphasise the importance of music as a medium for the confusion of identity.
The music isn’t just contained to the non-diegetic. Instead, full performances by Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, and King Woman offer a backdrop to the film’s climax, heightening its emotionality. Along with wanting to create a great soundtrack, Schoenbrun was intentional in choosing queer artists to spotlight their absence in other films as well as emphasise the importance of music as a medium for the confusion of identity.
Placing Queerness at the Forefront
Scholars of gender and sexuality have often held the horror as an inherently queer genre. From the reversal of gender dynamics in The Final Girl to the real terror of cultural normativity, horror frequently challenges and blurs the lines of established norms.
While I Saw the TV Glow may not be considered a “typical” horror film, its surrealness creates an uncomfortable portrayal of reality and memory. With an emphasis on the psychological, the film studies how for many queer individuals, everyday life can be a horror movie.
With an inability to be one’s true self along with the fear of rejection, queerness can be seen as an intrinsically surreal experience. When questioned about the film’s trans themes, Lundy-Paine commented, “The root of it is what it means to be trans and what it means to blow up your life and choose to transition or choose to not, and to be slowly dying.”
The queer community has not overlooked these themes, as many have commented online about the challenges of discovering oneself in a world that has historically ignored these experiences.
Nostalgia, Identity, and the Acceptance
Nostalgia is often viewed positively, with its ability to look upon the past in fondness as a virtue, even if done through rose-coloured glasses. I Saw the TV Glow, however, analyses this concept by focusing on the dangers of this consistent obsession. By illustrating its themes through visuals, music, and a limited script, the film turns to the viewer to place their own experiences in this context. By its end, Schoenbrun has illuminated that nostalgia doesn’t have to limit us to our pasts and that there is still time for the future.
