Okay, the big Summer blockbusters are coming in “hot”, but there’s no reason for the offbeat “indies” to sit on the sidelines till the Fall. At least that must be the intent of the fine folks at A24, who are still basking in the box office of their biggest hit, CIVIL WAR. Ah, but this one is a true “test” for the studio’s fervent fans. It’s a truly “out there” ode to several small screen touchstones for ” 90’s kids”. In fact, you could probably have an interesting game (just not in the theatre, please) of “checking off” winks and nods to some “cult faves”. Oh, but there’s much more happening in this exploration of suburban teen life as its young hero seems to be energized by the tube’s warmth as he swears that I SAW THE TV GLOW.
That “hero” is the main focus, twelve-year-old Owen (Ian Foreman), who lives a fairly sheltered life in a small town in New York state. Due to his social awkwardness, stoked by over-protective parents. he’s glued to the big tube TV on weekends in 1996. While “binging” the shows on the “Young Adult” cable network. Owen absorbs several promo commercials for the tween supernatural serial “The Pink Opaque”. This bit of “forbidden fruit” (it airs past his bedtime, at 10:30 p, before the channel reverts to old black and white shows), He’s obsessed with it. Then on election day, he finally gets his wish. Tagging along with his mother Brenda (Danielle Deadwyler), Owen meets a slightly older young woman (he’s 7th grade, she’s 9th) who is a “super fan” of “TPO”, the dark moody Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine). Though at first dismissive (“You’re a baby!”) she takes pity on him and allows him to sneak over to her home for a Saturday night “sleepover” (Owen tells Mom that he’s at the home of an old male buddy). Owen is hooked, and when the story jumps two years, high school freshman Owen (Justice White) is “devouring” VHS tapes of TPO that Maddy leaves for him in the school’s photography dark room. After the death of his mother Brenda, Owen’s only relief from grief seems to be the passion for the program’s “mythology” he shares with Maddy. But when the series ends its run, she begins to drift into that fantasy world. Could Owen eventually join her in an escape from the cruelties of the upcoming 21st century?
Taking leave of his role in two big film franchises (“Jurassic World” and “Dungeons & Dragons”), Smith delivers a compelling performance, effectively going from 15 to 23 to a frail 43 (health issues take a real toll) as the shy, unsteady Owen. Smith conserves his energy in order to show that the real joy in Owen’s life comes from his escape into the world of TPO. But there’s still that child-like clumsiness and an aching vulnerability when he is humbled by the true monsters lurking around his life. In a way, Smith shows us that Owen is a true hero just by surviving and making it through every day. Plus he builds on the great work in the first act, by his young version played with a sweet sadness by Foreman, who yearns for any connection outside his stifling home life. His lifeline comes via an unlikely “big sister” Maddy, who is given a real rough edge by the talented Lundy-Paine. Though she is kind to Owen, there’s an underlying anger oozing from Maddy’s dark eyes. Lundy-Paine, through her often rigid body language, conveys the character’s disgust with her settings ignited by her mania for the show she wants to enter. Deadwyler, so wonderful in TILL, is another loving matriarch here, though her screentime is far too brief. It’s an extended cameo, though much longer than the scenes with actors from the original shows that inspired the story (Nice to see you, A.B.).
Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun has crafted a sometimes engaging, but often baffling exploration of teenage loneliness and the ways that the media can reach into their psyche. The time period is expertly recreated with exacting homages to several TV shows from 25 years ago. Many viewers will latch on to the details of TPO that are inspired by Nick at Night (here called the YAN) and their half-hour tween supernatural series. An even bigger influence seems to be the video version of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” even down to the credit font, the name of its creator (Joss Whedon becomes Josh Pemberton), the Tara character (with a baseball bat rather than a stake), and the fandom “catchphrases (“big bad”, “monster of the week”). all given a VHS grain and static. This is somewhat fun, but the story gets bogged down by the oppressive smothering atmosphere of the late 90s “Anytown USA” with empty shopping carts hovering outside to a loud garish kids’ arcade and pizza palace. The story meanders, stopping the drama for a self-indulgent music performance, and baffling bits of weirdness (is this really happiness are we inside somebody’s head). Plus there seems to be no life for Owen and Maddy outside their media mania, no insight about their classes, and just a glimpse of family. The sequences of Owen breaking the fourth wall to narrate and update feel clumsy, as do the extreme time jumps and the abrupt ending, making this feel more like a filmed foray into experimental theatre (especially as extras “froze” in the finale). The “tele-tributes” are fun, and the lead performances are very good, but I SAW THE TV GLOW frustrates more than it enlightens, though I wouldn’t mind seeing a full “ep” of “The Pink Opaque”.
2 Out of 4
I SAW THE TV GLOW opens in select theatres on Friday, May 17, 2024
