We aren't even halfway through the year yet, but I can't imagine another 2024 movie topping "I Saw the TV Glow" for me. It's a surreal coming of age tale - definitely NOT straight-forward, in-your-face horror - that will likely be a "love it" or "hate it" due to writer-director Jane Schoenbrun's bold and distinct vision. It's obviously a "love it" for me, as I found the film moving and near-perfect on every level.
If anyone's feeling hesitant because of Schoenbrun's micro-budgeted directorial debut, "We're All Going to the World's Fair," "TV Glow" is completely different stylistically and in its scope. I appreciated "World's Fair" as a directorial debut and thought it had strong moments, but it ultimately fell short for me. HOWEVER, watching it did make me excited to see what Schoenbrun would do for their next film!
While "World's Fair" felt mostly grounded in reality (or maybe a somewhat augmented reality due to the character's downward descent into their online world), the uncanny and hypnotic are more present in "TV Glow." As I mentioned, this isn't a straight-forward, in-your-face horror movie - it dabbles more in the Lynchian approach of slow-burn nightmares that leave you unsure of what exactly you just witnessed. The focus, though, is mostly on our protagonists and their individual and shared journeys of loneliness, dysmorphia, and the horrors that spawn from such damaging states of mind.
Also, I can confirm (without spoilers) that this is NOT based on that one creepypasta about the mysterious children's TV show, "Candle Cove"! The movie does center on a TV show for young people, but the type of show it is and its role in the characters' lives are much different. While that creepypasta has a great and terrifying twist, this movie's characters' relationship with "The Pink Opaque" is one of obsession, nostalgia, and realization.
Lastly, "TV Glow" will likely PISS OFF viewers that cry "WOKE" at every instance of diversity or inclusion - and that is ALWAYS a PLUS in my book! What they're really complaining about is the fact that different people and communities are having more and more movies about them. I know, this review kind of went off track... the only thing left to say is: They'll be fine with "The Beekeeper", "Argylle", "Fall Guy", "Boy Kills World", and a slew of other Hollywood movies representing them in 2024 and beyond. Meanwhile, unique and necessary voices like Schoenbrun's can simultaneously exist and we're all better for it.
If anyone's feeling hesitant because of Schoenbrun's micro-budgeted directorial debut, "We're All Going to the World's Fair," "TV Glow" is completely different stylistically and in its scope. I appreciated "World's Fair" as a directorial debut and thought it had strong moments, but it ultimately fell short for me. HOWEVER, watching it did make me excited to see what Schoenbrun would do for their next film!
While "World's Fair" felt mostly grounded in reality (or maybe a somewhat augmented reality due to the character's downward descent into their online world), the uncanny and hypnotic are more present in "TV Glow." As I mentioned, this isn't a straight-forward, in-your-face horror movie - it dabbles more in the Lynchian approach of slow-burn nightmares that leave you unsure of what exactly you just witnessed. The focus, though, is mostly on our protagonists and their individual and shared journeys of loneliness, dysmorphia, and the horrors that spawn from such damaging states of mind.
Also, I can confirm (without spoilers) that this is NOT based on that one creepypasta about the mysterious children's TV show, "Candle Cove"! The movie does center on a TV show for young people, but the type of show it is and its role in the characters' lives are much different. While that creepypasta has a great and terrifying twist, this movie's characters' relationship with "The Pink Opaque" is one of obsession, nostalgia, and realization.
Lastly, "TV Glow" will likely PISS OFF viewers that cry "WOKE" at every instance of diversity or inclusion - and that is ALWAYS a PLUS in my book! What they're really complaining about is the fact that different people and communities are having more and more movies about them. I know, this review kind of went off track... the only thing left to say is: They'll be fine with "The Beekeeper", "Argylle", "Fall Guy", "Boy Kills World", and a slew of other Hollywood movies representing them in 2024 and beyond. Meanwhile, unique and necessary voices like Schoenbrun's can simultaneously exist and we're all better for it.