I Saw the TV Glow… that’s definitely an art film, with a thorough undercurrent of existential dread and perception-twisting ideation.
When I saw the trailer for this, I was already all in for it. It looked different, and it dealt with something I’m well-acquainted with: a bizarre relationship with a TV show.
What you couldn’t ever fully understand from the trailer is exactly how different this is than just about anything else out there.
There’s no question this is very much an “art” film. And by that I mean “Expect to be along for the ride, not to have anything explained in any way that makes logical sense.”
Even when it seems things are making sense, and you think you see what’s going on, you may very well be wrong. Because your frame of reference is the reality we all live in.
This movie is not that.
I main, the high school is named “Void High School” (and that may not just be to get the cute “VHS” nod that ties in with a key part of the film’s plot as the characters share video tapes of a TV show.
It is awkward and disturbing and heartfelt and heartbreaking. And there is that undercurrent of existential dread, which I think is the key to the whole thing.
Some people will watch this and complain about the performances of the main characters. Thing is, the way those characters act is very much in line with at least two different interpretations of the story that I can see. (And there are more than few interpretations you can get form this–it’s full of possible allegories, allusions, and metaphors…) Taken for what they are in context, the performances are really well executed and a key source of the discomfort you feel in the film.
In that vein it strikes me as similar to We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, which, in its own way, deals with some similar themes. (Which shouldn’t be surprising, because it’s also from the same writer/director.)
One of the key questions at the heart of this story is: How much are you willing to do to fix something that you know is wrong? The disparity and possible consequences of answering that are another source of the discomfort you feel in the film.
Overall, I liked this. But there’s no question at all a lot of people won’t. Some because they won’t “get” it… others because they will, all too well, in one context or another. I think it’s worth watching for the overall art of the filmmaking (because there are some great and creative techniques employed here), if not the story itself.
- Malevolent – October 14, 2024
- Demons 2 – October 14, 2024
- Immaculate – October 12, 2024
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