A classmate introduces teenage Owen to a mysterious late-night TV show -- a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen's view of reality begins to crack.
I Saw The TV Glow is directed by Jane Schoenbrun who previously directed We're All Going To The World's Fair (2021).
Ever since I saw We're All Going To The World's Fair back at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival I was incredibly excited to see what Jane Schoenbrun would do next as that film become one of my favorites of 2021 and over time I've loved it even more. I'm really happy to say that I Saw The TV Glow is truly fascinating and absolutely breathtaking in every single way possible.
I'll start with the performances which are all fantastic but Justice Smith and Bridgette Lundy-Paine are the two that really shine here. Justice Smith gives a career best performance, this is a drastically performance by him than the viewer is used to and it's incredibly effective. There's a few particular moments where Smith's character Owen is just broken and you the viewer feel that shattering moment especially during the final of the moments of the film where it hits you like a truck. Speaking of which Owen is such an interesting character, he seems like any other teenager yes but strangely enough he has that familiarity feel, like you might have known a person like Owen when you were growing up. Perhaps in your school, neighborhood ect it helps that Owen is written quite realistically as well, I completely buy what's happening to him, his issues or when he talks to the viewer it's a storytelling device that really works well here.
The other half of this film is Bridgette Lundy-Paine they truly give a fantastic performance that really compliments the film's tone. The many exchanges they have with Justice Smith are investing and incredibly raw, exchanges you would hear from friends just hanging out, talking about TV shows and much more. There's also the monologue Paine gives which is truly beautifully done, it's a meaningful monologue that hits you like a truck the more you think about it and is quite important to the film's many themes. Together Justice Smith and Bridgette Lundy-Paine are a striking duo who really go all out with their performances, they both do as much as possible to connect to their characters Owen and Maddy and never go down from there. No doubt two of the best performances so far this year.
There's many themes going on here, I Saw The TV Glow is one of those films where there can be several different interpretations of what exactly is going on here. There's a sense of nostalgia like reflecting on the past and how things might not be as good as you remember them being, there's figuring out your identity whether you are trans, gay, bisexual ect there's a lot of beautiful and meaningful moments that share this and then there's this sense of loneliness a favorite of mine which might be a bit biased since I've said in the past that I really do love this theme and use it a lot in my photography.
The whole sense of loneliness theme really comes into play during the middle portion of the film, there's definitely a few moments where Owen talks to us the viewer with fourth wall breaks which shows this ominous and sad nature of the film, this theme of loneliness really kicks in during the film's last moments that really do show this lonely world that Owen lives in. The final moments of the film actually made me shed some tears due to just how powerful they really were, it's definitely one of my favorite endings from a film so far this year so I won't say much more about it as I do think it's that more effective when you see it for yourself. One last thing about loneliness in this film is the world the film takes place in really does seem like a small place, from the atmosphere, the cinematography and the VHS feel to it you really start to get that feel throughout the film.
Finally there's the technical parts of the film such as the score, cinematography and creature designs all of which are top notch, the creature designs have this classic power rangersesc feel to them which is incredibly charming and the score completely matches the tone of the film. The atmosphere is beautiful yet sad at the same time which all adds up to such a beautiful experience.
Overall I Saw The TV Glow is a masterpiece, this is truly one of the best films of 2024 so far and one of the best films of the 2020s. It's such a beautiful film that I am
So happy exists. Make sure to watch this one!
I Saw The TV Glow is available on all VOD platforms.
10/10 A+
No comments:
Post a Comment