I Saw the TV Glow

'I Saw the TV Glow' is about a pair of middle school kids in the '90s who get a little too involved in their favorite cable TV show.

Justice Smith and Bridgette Lundy-Paine play two loners who have nothing in common except an obsession with the show "The Pink Opaque". We see vignettes from the show which is about two young girls using their super powers and telepathic connection to fight an evil villain who looks like the Man in the Moon. Apparently, this TV show has generated near 300 episodes.

The two main characters of 'Glow' don't seem to have any kind of life outside of watching 'The Pink Opaque'. Transfixed in the 'TV Glow', these two exude low energy and that's the overriding vibe of the film. Not a good thing.

The first half of 'Glow' is watchable as a vague sense of dread builds. I wondered where this was going, ready for the ride; but 'Glow' doesn't go anywhere interesting.

It's an odd little movie that approximates that moment when you're about to fall asleep with the television on.

I found the most interesting scenes to be the faux episodes of 'The Pink Opaque' with its intentionally cheesy era aesthetics.

Bridgette Lundy-Paine delivered their lines like they were being fed to her through an ear piece. The terrible acting completely took me out of the universe the director was trying to convey. There were too many boring, drawn out monologues delivered monotonously without emotion, it almost became comical. It's really hard to connect to characters who show no resolve whatsoever. There were interesting themes but they were poorly executed, wish there was more emotional depth. There are so few actors with lines that these poor performances stick out like a sore thumb. Film has the vibe of a CW show written by an angsty teen who loves LED lighting.

No judgment. Definitely not a traditional "horror" film, but scary none the less. I was a freshman girl in 1996. This is what it felt like.... Fighting to get to the next season of our lives. Fighting to be understood and to understand ourselves. We were in such a hurry to grow up we didn't fully appreciate our youth. Some of us didn't make it. I did and I wonder which outcome is better. We die quickly or we die slowly. This film made me feel very seen and also scared for the next generations. Some things are better and some are way worse. If we do it or not our teenage selves die... it's all about if we become something better. The question is "What is better?"

I was thoroughly looking forward to this film but alas. The style, the cinematography and the subject matter are all well-executed and important. However, there is little to no nuisance. Any subtlety is not subtle and any message is overpowered by sub-par acting and loud, screeching, pretension.

Mysterious Skin (2006) is a film that's similar but done exceptionally better. While the subject matter is far from metaphoric, it's execution is brilliant. I Saw The TV Glow seems like a proof of concept with a powerful core message that had the glaring plot gaps filled with flashing visuals and nostalgia-bait.

This should've been a Tisch short.

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun made a highly atmospheric little film a couple of years ago called ' We're All Going To The Worlds Fair' on a shoestring budget but the film left an inedible impression on me that I included it on my ten best of the year.

The follow up continues the same microscopic view of adolescence, loneliness and social exclusion that still retains the same wonderful wintry neon feel as the previous film. See also the classic 'It Follows' and ' Rivers Edge'-these all perfectly capture the inner feelings of the characters; bored teenagers in middle small town America caught in a mystery.

It is talky and slow and I get if some will be put off. I didn't take to the characters breaking the 'fourth wall' and start speaking directly to the camera; it felt like the audience had to be spoon fed exactly what the character is feeling.

The acting is excellent from Justice Smith and Brigette Lunday-Paine and young Ian Foreman as the young Owen. Bringing a vulnerable, isolated look on the faces. Is there a hint of abuse here?

I felt like I did in the 90s with 'Twin Peaks' where I wanted to dive straight into the TV set and be in the dark and magical small US town (there are lots of 'Lynchian' references here, not just the photography and sound but the musical interlude in the small bar) Like the similar 'Beau is Afraid' (ageing) this is a smart, extremely well done expressionist horror that I may not want to see again in a hurry but will stay in my mind for a long time.