‘I saw the tv glow’ Who was the target audience and was that audience impressed?
A24 movie ‘I saw the tv glow, released May 2024 (USA) had mixed reviews from people who did and didn’t understand the movie. Here’s a perspective from a potential outsider looking in.
I saw the tv glow, A movie by Jane Schoenburn (Writer and director) showed the world the perspectives of hiding who you would really want to be. The main characters Owen and Maddy being the target of this movies meaning.
With this movie came mixed reviews, people who disliked the movie due to ‘not understanding’ and people who keep this movie as a potential part of them due to feeling recognised by the way this movie was conducted towards its target audience.
A Mid-length summary of ‘I saw the tv glow’.
For the people who enjoyed the movie, yet not potentially understanding the meaning behind it, or people who haven’t seen the movie but are interested in the plot line.
Spoiler warning if you haven’t seen the movie! This segment WILL summarise the entire plot.
The first part of this movie is set in 1996, where teenagers Maddy and owen share their own interest in the television show ‘The pink opaque’. Maddy feels a physical connection with the show, explaining that it feels ‘more real than real life’. Although Owen also enjoys the show, he is not urged to watch it at home as his father would tell him the show was ‘for girls’. As time goes on the two continue to share their interest in the show, watching it together at Maddy’s home. two years go by when Owen sees Maddy crying as they watch together, upon figuring out why Maddy explains that she plans to run away from home, leaving the world behind to escape the cruelty of her step-father. Maddy gives Owen the choice to come with her, but he does not. To follow onwards, Maddy goes missing, The pink opaque is cancelled and Owen’s mother passes away.
Shortly after, we are brought to 2006 where we see Owen working in a movie theatre, with seemingly no real remembrance or care for the show he once loved. There is a scene shown of Owen walking through a grocery store, whilst in that store he spots Maddy, stood in the middle of an aisle. He immediately recognises her, being shocked at the sighting of his once missing friend.
The two go towards a bar together, once in there Maddy mentions The pink opaque to him, questioning what he remembers about their once shared interest. She proceeds to say she had been living inside the show for the past 8 years she had been missing, whilst telling him about her experiences, she tells him to inspect the final episode of ‘The pink opaque’, the episode existing of the two main characters Tara and Isabel, being taken by Mr melancholy, the villain of the show with the power of “warping time and reality.’ Owen then watches that episode and is immediately distraught and in a moment of shock and panic he immediately puts his head through the tv screen, having his father pull him out.
That next day Owen and Maddy are met together again, where Maddy explains that even after running away, she was still not happy with her life. She goes along to say that she had paid a man to bury her alive, she proceeds to explain how she ‘suffocated’ before waking up in The pink opaque as one of the main characters Tara. She says to Owen that he should try doing the same, as his own escape from reality. He runs away from her, scared at what he was hearing and what could potentially have been a reality for him. He never sees Maddy again, but her words are engraved in his mind for the rest of his life, a shell of what his life could’ve been. Owens father then dies in 2010, leaving him in the house alone.
The following scene is Owen moving boxes out of his house, and moving new ones in, whilst he speaks his own monologue. He expresses how time moved so fast and it was time for him to ‘become a man, a real adult, a productive member of society.’ he also reveals he now has a family of his own, with the scene ending as he pulls a new television box into the house. We are then brought back to Owen at the fire, in which he puts out and walks away whilst he explains he began watching ‘The pink opaque’ again on a streaming service. He expresses how it was nothing like he remembered, and that it was ‘cheesy’.
After this we are brought to his workplace, Owen’s boss moved him to a ‘Family entertainment centre’, where he assisted children’s birthday parties. One of the most memorable scenes near the end of the movie is of Owen at a child’s party in 2026. During this party he completely breaks down in-front of everybody, screaming and crying for help whilst explaining to the people around him that he was dying. whilst looking for support in the people around him he finds that they are not moving, just shells of people almost broken, like they are switched off from reality. The same Maddy and him once were. After this he locks himself in the bathroom as the party then continues outside, we then move to a scene where he begins to cut his own chest open but there is no blood, no pain and seemingly no surprise when it shows a tv static inside of Owen’s body, he smiles before closing himself back up and going back to the party, where he then apologises for his behaviour, being ignored while doing so with the movie ending there, abruptly.
What did audiences take from this movie?
In my opinion (Reviews will be mentioned).
I believe that many audiences will watch this movie and leave confused, with many of the negative comments on the movie being from people that very obviously didn’t understand 1, who the movie was made for audience wise and 2, don’t share experiences with either character therefore, not having a positive outtake on this movie.
Reading through harsh reviews of this movie is infuriating, reading the negative things the public have to say about it purely because they don’t understand is hard to see. Many of the lowest letterboxd reviews were written as:
‘Oh my god what a load of shit.’
‘Shit sucks.’
‘I’m writing this as i’m in the middle of this junk ass movie! I can’t wait for it to be over. Like i’m not even sure what the hell is happening.’
The pattern of negative reviews being stemmed from ‘ignorant’ audiences is terrible, yet the positive reviews I have read are genuinely life changing, the best reviews i’ve read coming from the links below, I suggest you read them.
letterboxd.com/mesh509
letterboxd.com/EstherOnFilm
letterboxd.com/bjstreu513
There is something strong that people carry with them from this movie, just the four words of ‘There is still time’ has such a strong impact on watchers including myself, whether you have seen yourself in the characters, whether you have a realisation of your own whilst watching or even if you just enjoyed it, so many people have seen themselves to such a strong extent after this movie.
What are the strongest symbolisms shown in this film?
The cinematography in this movie is beautiful, not only the contrasts of colours but the way different aspects of being ‘different’ are symbolised.
The way Owen is shown in this movie is that he is not happy within himself, he isn’t happy in his own body and doesn’t want to be the way he is. He sees Maddy as a symbol for what he could’ve been if he hadn’t held himself back so he could be a ‘normal member of society’, with this symbolising the potential internalised transphobia within him, and the hatred for himself for thinking in such a way. I cannot speak for the people within this community having not be a part of it myself but this movie shows so well how it feels to not feel ‘normal’ to the others around you, to not be comfortable in your own body and not know why.’ This movie shows how frequently glossed over internalised transphobia and homophobia can be towards the person feeling it and feeling as though your thoughts are incorrect, and the biggest question on why you are feeling that way. It puts into perspective how hard it is to come to terms with sexuality and who you truly are, and how hard it is to admit that to not only the people around you, but also yourself.
Maddy and Owen feel this connection together because of their similarities, they are both isolated teenagers who don’t know who they truly are which is a lead reason why Maddy’s words stick with Owen all the time. Maddy recognised how Owen was feeling and Owen saw what he wanted to be in Maddy, leaving them both together yet so far away from where they both wished to be. e.g Maddy wanting to be away from reality and Owen feeling as though he’s living a live he doesn’t want to live.
Looking further in this movie, Owen is represented to be a potentially autistic character.
https://magazine.interstellarflightpress.com/why-owen-in-i-saw-the-tv-glow-could-also-be-autistic-538459114690
This interview explains in more in-depth detail the autistic traits that Owen show in the movie.
The representation of characters and experiences in this film is impeccable and I believe there really should be more of this within films to come. The audiences that movies like this build are often communities of people who feel the same way, with this film symbolising the struggles on realising your true self and how your life is going to be, and being able to admit that, this can apply to so many communities of people whether that is people apart of the LGBTQ+ community, children and adults on the autistic spectrum and people with physical and mental disabilities. For me, just the words ‘There is still time.’ are so touching to me, as someone who has had so much trouble with mental health issues. It is so incredible that one movie can have such an impact on the way people think, I have seen people who have been encouraged to transition after this movie and I think that is one of the most wonderful things to come out of it. In conclusion, the correct audience who watched this movie left feeling ‘seen and heard’, the way differentially within people is shown in this movie is remarkable and it is so eye opening to the lives which people live every day.
