Tracker Pixel for Entry

Schoenbrun finds the signal in ‘I Saw the TV Glow’

Cinema | June 17th, 2024

By Greg Carlson

gregcarlson1@gmail.com

In their previous feature, the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Next selection “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” director Jane Schoenbrun shaped the raw materials of electronically-mediated internet communication to explore thresholds, boundaries, and the construction of identities. “I Saw the TV Glow,” while no less raw and unsettling, marks a significant step in the filmmaker’s evolution, shifting from the more directly participatory and interactive dynamics of the creepypasta-influenced “World’s Fair Challenge” to the obsessive cult fandom inspired by television shows such as “Twin Peaks” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” An ambitious and thoughtful experience driven by two strong central performances, “I Saw the TV Glow” is adventurous and thought-provoking cinema.

While accompanying his mother to the polls for the 1996 presidential election, Owen (played briefly as a middle-schooler by Ian Foreman and then as an older teen and adult by Justice Smith) spots Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) reading a paperback episode guide to the late-night YA fantasy series “The Pink Opaque.” A strange tale of two girls with psychic abilities, the compelling serial features evil clowns, living ice cream treats, and monstrous characters like “big bad” Mr. Melancholy, whose looks are inspired by the lunar visage from “A Trip to the Moon” by way of the Smashing Pumpkins. Although he has not yet been able to watch (“The Pink Opaque” airs after his bedtime), Owen cooks up a plan to join Maddy for weekend screenings. Maddy also obsessively tapes the show on VHS.

The rituals of devotion practiced by Owen and Maddy will be familiar to viewers who treated (and continue to treat) “Twin Peaks” like the foundational scripture of a deeply-felt religious denomination. Schoenbrun uses the show-within-the-show to reflect and refract the experiences of Owen and Maddy in a manner reminiscent of how the soap opera “Invitation to Love” fueled the imaginations of characters appearing in “Twin Peaks” and functioned as a commentary on the principal melodrama. In another of the movie’s homages to the imagination of David Lynch, live musical performances take place at a spot called the Double Lunch in parallel to the showcases at the Bang Bang Bar/Roadhouse in “Twin Peaks.”

In the press notes for the film, Schoenbrun candidly discusses their intention for “I Saw the TV Glow” to address what is called the “egg crack” — “the pivotal moment when a person first realizes they are trans.” Multiple observers have praised Schoenbrun for the sophisticated depiction of such a complex experience; the intensely personal is rendered here with uniqueness and specificity for the characters while conveying something universal and human for all audience members. Schoenbrun chooses not to develop parasocial interactions and relationships between Owen and Maddy and the protagonists of “The Pink Opaque,” avoiding a pitfall that routinely trips up filmmakers who play with the show-within-the-show conceit.

The decision proves especially wise as one of the wonders of “I Saw the TV Glow” unfolds when memories of “The Pink Opaque” don’t align in the ways anticipated by Owen when he revisits the series as an older person. Schoenbrun even embraces the humor amidst this pain, inviting viewers to laugh at the revised glimpse of something that at one time was so whole and so meaningful. It is just one among many of the movie’s instances of dysphoric fracturing that accompanies what Schoenbrun notes is the desire to “figure out a way to be yourself in a world that has done a really good job of trying to convince you that you’re someone else.”

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Rodeo is a family tradition for sisters Kate and Tera Flitton. The duo performs under the moniker Stellar Trick Riding Cowgirls. The Utah natives will be performing along with bareback riders,…

On view through March 31215 N. 3rd St, Grand ForksThe Equal Rights Association (ERA NOW), Arts for Vets, and the Women’s Fund have joined forces in hosting an art exhibition in celebration of International Women’s Day. The 2025…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comLennon: “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can!”On January 8, 2025, Timothy W. Rybeck of “The Atlantic" magazine published “How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days” with the…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The below zero temperatures endured this recent January and February were a motivator to find something fun and interesting to do to lift the spirits. (Insert blue, teeth-chattering emoji here.) To…

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The opening night showcase of the 2025 Fargo Film Festival is Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s excellent documentary feature “Speak.” The movie premiered during the Sundance Film…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comTelling Queer History is an LGBTQIA+ organization that utilizes oral storytelling and community building to educate, honor and collect oral histories. To honor its final year in operation, the …

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com Somewhere lost in the cultural scuffle of what it means to be transgender is that it is an absolute joy to experience the world in such a way. When you take away the societal prejudice and…

By Gilbert Kuipersgilbertkuipers@outlook.com I live in North Dakota District 24 and have been challenging the district Republicans about their understanding of climate science for years. There has been no serious response to my…