Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow was one of the buzziest titles to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year, and P.T. and I were very disappointed that it was only available to screen in person. Fortunately, it’s now out and theaters and we were finally able to see what all the fuss was about.

The film follows two teenagers, Maddy and Owen, as they strike up a friendship over a supernatural teenage drama called “The Pink Opaque.” That fictional series strongly evokes shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Goosebumps, ‘Eerie, Indiana,’ Pete and Pete, and even Twin Peaks. To assume that this film is merely a trip down a collective memory lane, however, would be a huge mistake.

In this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T. mostly helps me come to terms with the film’s ambiguities as we work our way through what it all means. There’s a lot to unpack, and we relish that task in typical Long Take Review fashion.

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Image Credit: Rotten Tomatoes

Movies News Update We catch up with The Cannes Film Festival. For which films has our hype increased or decreased? 3:55

The Short Take We each share our general impressions of I Saw The TV Glow. 26:20

The Recommendation Algorithm Who should see this film? What genre best represents it? How should viewers set their expectations about the kind of film this is? 31:18

SPOILER MODE What is this film trying to say? To what extent are this film’s themes universal vs. specific to the trans or queer experience? Why does this film take place in the 90s? 49:00

The Rhetorical Situation How does the mode of exchange alter the consumption and interpretation of popular culture? When does popular culture facilitate identity actualization vs. threaten it? How might nostalgia interfere with…everything? 1:14:20

Oscars Watch Does I Saw The TV Glow have any Oscars potential? 1:39:46

Notes:

P.T. references this Letterboxd review by mesh509 during the episode.

When Jen compares the use of musical performances in this film to Twin Peaks, she is primarily thinking of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return (2017).

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

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