I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Transitioning to a nostalgic future.
Presentation:
When it comes to to contemporary coming of age films, it’s pretty obvious what you’re getting into. This is not really a horror film, though there is one body horror scene. It is a contemporary art house mystery with an enigmatic metaphor. The visuals of this film have a nostalgic liminal vibe almost reminiscent of Backrooms influence. The performances are weak by design in order to capture awkward teenage youth, which is necessary because the cast are pushing their age for playing high school students. The colorful LED lighting has electric pink and purple tones appropriate for the theme and will be the main draw of this film. Even if the message does not apply to you, I think it’ll open your eyes and you could still enjoy the nostalgic suburban vibes.
Analysis:
This is a film about repression and more specifically transitioning. When Maddy asks Owen does he like girls, he replies he doesn’t know. That immediately lets you know that he is curious. It’s safe to claim his coming out is transgender and not just homosexual because Owen is supposed to live free in The Pink Opaque as Isabel, a woman. Also the director is a transgender woman, making the motivation clearer. There are also scenes where he wears Isabel’s clothing, and a cool take on the Mandela Effect. The metaphor for suffocating underground is a visceral metaphor for how it feels to be trapped in the closet as well as his unfulfilled life culminating in a birthday party outburst. Finally the scene where he cuts himself open makes it even more clear that the film is encouraging transgender surgery, especially at the school age since the theme of the film is “there is still time.” When you think about it, the film is not ambiguous and rather straightforward with Owen breaking the fourth wall to encourage the audience directly. Essentially this film’s primary objective is to encourage queer and bicurious kids to transition. But a lot of people didn’t seem to get it so I guess it’s pretty subtle, which I think is more tasteful than films like Conclave.
Conclusion:
The narrative and performances are not strong in this film in favor of a message the director wishes to convey. Tonally it reminds me of enigmatic indie films like The Solitude of Prime Numbers, Nowhere and Titane. It’s vague for those it does not apply to yet also directly speaks to those who have lived it. This is an LGB film, and perhaps one of the more effective ones in capturing the feeling of repression rather than the narrative of it. It’s no Moonlight, but it might even be more successful in converting others to understand how their trauma feels.
Recommendations
Transitioning to a nostalgic future.