Director / Writer Jane Schoenbrun’s stunning transgender allegory, while imperfect in some story beads, does a great job fusing 90s and 00s elements into a compelling exploration of life and hiding yourself away.
I Saw The TV Glow
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun
Starring Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Danielle Deadwyler, Fred Durst
Runtime: 1 hour, 40 mins
Synopsis
Owen (Smith) and Maddy (Lundy-Paine) develop a deep friendship while watching their favorite show, The Pink Opaque, but as their shared realities start to unravel, they are left wondering if the show was actually real … and what does that mean for themselves?
I will save discussion on the film’s last act reveals / ending in another post, so if you don’t want any of the major plot points spoiled, you can rest easy.
The Dream Of the 90s Are Alive in…
As a millennial movie reviewer, it’s been interesting to witness more and more nostalgic movies covering the 90s and early 00s. However, recent entries into this space differ significantly because they are now being made by the millennials who were shaped by those decades. As creators my own age get their first directing and writing opportunities, they are looking back with a critical fondness at the decades that defined them while using them as prisms to examine some current or historically problematic issues.
Glow does this by examining the covert and overt exploration of sexuality present in our childhood media, put there by creators who were hampered or restricted from fully expressing how they felt themselves or completely articulating the stories they wanted to tell. This isn’t a new dynamic and certainly wasn’t new to LGBTQIA+ audiences, but the 90s marked one of the first decades where Ellen DeGeneres could come out publicly while leading a major network show, Broadway shows like Rent would be lauded for their depiction of the AIDS crisis within the community, laying the groundwork for more openly gay shows and topics in adult media, creating a trickle down to children’s shows.
The trickle into children’s media, however, has always been slower and more restrictive. Even today, creatives on shows like Adventure Time (2010-2018) have had to scrap and claw to mold their shows how they wanted, and even successful fights can result in compromises that flatten the LGBTQIA+ experiences being told.
Credit: A24
But…this generation was told we could be whatever we wanted to be, do whatever we set our mind to. If we wanted to explore or write more gay stories, that’s exactly what we were going to do, studio inference be damned. What was subtext in the 90s becomes more explicit and fleshed out as writers grow and mainstream studios catch up to where creatives already live at. A great example of this lies with former Adventure Time writer Rebecca Sugar creating Steven Universe (2013-2019), launching one of the best children’s shows of all time while also being more explicit and direct regarding a variety of LGBTQIA+ issues that would have been unheard of 10-15 years ago.
It’s under that backdrop that Glow uses the in-universe show The Pink Opaque to explore repressed sexuality in our childhood media, particularly transgender dynamics. The blend of iconography is effortless, channeling Nickelodeon’s The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994-1998) stylistically with big baddy / monster of the week from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1996) or Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) – the latter being a key, overall influence for writer / director Schoenbrun.
From the wardrobe choices of our two protagonists Owen and Maddy, our fictional Pink Opaque characters Isabel (Helena Howard) and Tara (Lindsey Jordan), their TV sets and related VHS gear, the video static and scan lines as they watch episodes, and even a key moment happening during the 1996 presidential election night, this film couldn’t scream 90s harder unless it had been made there.
Yet…there’s a sinister or somewhat overbearing insinuation over the entire proceedings. If you’ve watched the YouTube series Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (DHMIS2011-2016), you’ll note a similar tone: use a children’s TV show that starts with a rather fun song or lesson that progressively gets darker and more unhinged, usually forcing or pushing the protagonists back to the status quo if they dare question what’s happening to them. Glow makes use of this repeatedly, either with scenes at school that are dimly lit even for seemingly routine moments, like a voting booth scene early on where Owen and Maddy meet. If you think back to most movie scenes where characters are performing their civic duty, there’s way more light and joy to the proceedings, whereas Glow insinuates early on that there’s more going on here.
Credit: BBC
The soundtrack reinforces this aesthetic, combining numerous soft pop and electric tunes that would have easily played in early-aughts indie movies, with a drop of screamo and grunge thrown in for good measure to remind us of the darkness. Or put another way, anytime the score and songs make you feel a dash of happiness, the darker songs are there to add a cynical punctuation, usually tying in well with the scene currently playing out.
Opaque Choices
Similar to the critical reaction that DHMIS received when it first released, there’s going to be plenty of people who love the themes, and sometimes nonlinear storytelling that both stories employ, but many others may find this style irritating. One benefit DHMIS has over Glow is its length and cohesiveness: DHMIS stories are short (under 10 minutes) and well-constructed together, even if you’re questioning what’s going on.
Glow suffers from some early shots or voiceover dialogue, along with flashbacks (or flash-forwards) that seem out of place and makes your initial watch and experience a bit difficult to process. We also have to connect with Owen’s character twice, once with his younger self (played by Ian Foreman), and again later as Smith takes over the role until the very end. Between the two of them, they sufficiently convey how awkward, out of place, and alone Owen’s character is, but it takes some getting used to earlier in the film.
Credit: A24
Owen and Maddy are not written or pushed to have any romantic chemistry and, like Owen’s awkwardness, the oddness of their relationship takes some getting used to. When Maddy is discussing Pink Opaque and / or trying to convince Owen that something else is going on, the narrative is the strongest or most straightforward to follow. It’s the connecting moments in between that can make enjoying or processing their journey more difficult.
The great thing about the third act, which again I won’t spoil here, is that Owen’s difficulty accepting their identity pays off well. It’s a genuinely sad and maddening moment, but it is truly the culmination of how much they’ve struggled the entire film. I was willing to forgive small editing or flow issues I saw in the film because of how much that final moment impacted me when it came together. I also recognize that some of the editing choices are likely there to convey the chaos of discovery – how messy identity is within a codified, societal gender construct. How can you properly explore yourself when every piece of data around you is aimed at making you conform to your birth identity? And how muddier does that get when your entire existence (within the narrative of the movie) is potentially a lie? I believe this conceit will allow a diverse range of audiences to put themselves into Maddy and Owen’s shoes as they wrestle with confusion and the unknown.
Conclusion / Recommendation
I Saw The TV Glow‘s exploration isn’t a perfect romp through a familiar time period, but its dark overtones and nostalgic appeals will likely be enough for most horror / eerie sci-fi fans to see past those faults and engage with the complex identity themes laid out by Jane Schoenbrun.
If movies like Mandy (2018), Donnie Darko (2001), or the aforementioned Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared series intrigue you and don’t make you run for the doors, Glow is going to be right up your alley. You should definitely go support this film in theaters to support more LGBTQIA indie films getting a wider release like Glow has.
Score: 7.75 out of 10
- Catching The Plot- 7
- The overall bones of the story are solid, but some scenes or takes feel drawn out, along with a few story beads that don’t always go anywhere.
- 90-00s Aesthetics and Vision- 9
- Firmly rooted between two decades, Glow harnesses the look well, switching their characters between years effortlessly and developing an interesting vision for their in-universe TV show.
- Awkward Performance- 7
- Smith seems perfect for this type of role and works well with Lundy-Paine, but your mileage will vary on how much you can stand or enjoy as they try to figure out the truth.
- Soundtrack and Vibe- 8
- A nearly perfect soundtrack caps off the overall nostalgic themes and eerie energy of the proceedings.
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