Films for Breakfast

Ever so often, you watch a film that completely rocks your world and ignites your faith in the medium of film all-over again. Jane Schoenbrun’s first film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, was an extremely innovative and stunning debut that perfectly captured Creepypasta culture and what it was like growing up with almost unrestricted internet access while trying to come of age. Their second feature, I Saw the TV Glow, has striking similarities to their debut film – from the mood, the unnerving suspense, the quiet dread of coming-of-age, and our relationship with media; there is a very familiar and haunting connective, thematic tissue between the two that solidify Schoenbrun as one of our most essential and innovative filmmakers working today.

Despite the connective tissue and the fact that it feels like a bigger and bolder extension of some of the themes tackled within World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow still feels like a whole other beast itself. The film follows teenager Owen (Justice Smith) after classmate Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a mysterious and spell-binding late-night TV show called The Pink Opaque. The show instantly flips Owen’s world and perception upside down, and forges a bond between him and Maddy that binds them together in unexpected and powerful ways. And it’s through this narrative of not only being obsessed with a piece of media, but genuinely feeling seen and understood within it, that I Saw the TV Glow truly shines. In a sea of never-ending content, it’s truly special to find a piece of media that you can cherish and feel a deep connection with – one that feels different to anything else you could watch. It can almost feel like it lives inside of you due to how much it means to you.

There’s a very fine line within I Saw the TV Glow between showing how effective and powerful the medium of visual storytelling can be, especially for teenagers who are coming-of-age and have no other outlet of expression when growing up in suburban hell. On the other hand, Schoenbrun weaponizes nostalgia here and makes it a terrifying force to be reckoned with. It’s within this haunting approach and view of nostalgia that their direction truly flourishes. The way Schoenbrun opts for the film to be set in so many liminal spaces (a nearly-empty movie theater, a dimly lit grocery store, the backseat of your parents car, high school halways and dark rooms, etc.) makes the film simultaneously feel like a dream and a memory all at once. There’s something so familiar about it, but at the same time, it’s always so empty and lonely – like it’s so close to be a comforting presence and setting yet never feels quite right.

This mood is only amplified by the amazing cinematography from director of photography Eric Yue, who beautifully captures a hyper-specific mood and style that I’m already obsessed with. There are so many gorgeous shots that will be screen capped for all eternity, and just as many truly haunting and unsettling ones as well; a truly balancing act of beauty and terror all at once. On top of that, the film has an incredible use of music and sound design. Alex G provides the music for the film, and it’s deeply haunting and hypnotic in equal measure; but the soundtrack including songs from artists such as yuele, Caroline Polachek, King Woman, Sloppy Jane, and Phoebe Bridgers gives it such a hyper-specific sense of melancholy and longing that only those musicians can convey. The sound and visuals combined both create at atmosphere and world that is nearly impossible to not be entranced by from the moment it begins.

Another really impressive feat about I Saw the TV Glow is the fact that it is a completely self-contained character study about its main characters, Owen and Maddy. Sure, you get some supporting characters such as their respective parents, co-workers, a few classmates, etc. But it is, for the most part, entirely focused on them and their relationship not only with each other but with The Pink Opaque. Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine both give incredible performances individually, and have truly magnetic chemistry that you buy from the moment they appear on-screen together. It’s also worth shouting out Ian Foreman, who plays a young Owen. While he only has a small amount of screentime before the film jumps forward in time, he really impresses with one of the best performances I’ve seen from a child actor in quite sometime.

All of these fantastic elements create a whirlwind that can only be described as movie magic.. delivering a film that I have absolutely no issues with, and find utterly fascinating. I simultaneously feel like I have a great grasp on the film and immediately understood what it was going for, yet I still feel the urge to dissect and rewatch it as many times as I can to truly understand every frame of it. Jane Schoenbrun has crafted an undeniably trans-charged coming-of-age story that feels so unique to their voice and experiences, but ultimately also feels universal for anyone who has ever felt a connection with media in this type of way or has ever felt misunderstood and distant from their own realities. This is a stunning piece of work and one of the most thematically filling films I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in years. I can’t wait to watch it again.

5/5