Every generation has a small set of directors that go on to define a particular era in cinema, but it can be difficult to discern who will become the iconoclasts and which ones will just be seen as reliable artists, which can really only happen once some distance has been created between an era and the directors that worked within it, after which their legacy and body of work can be appropriately assessed. However, there are occasionally those who prove themselves to be major voices in the industry from the very beginning, particularly when it comes to maintaining a solid artistic output, rather than being a proverbial flash in the pan when it comes to invigorating the industry. Over the past couple of years, we’ve become acquainted with Jane Schoenbrun, who is perhaps the most genuinely exciting filmmaker of their generation, and someone who established themselves as an essential voice with their debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, one of the great horror films of the current decade, and a work that is bound to be viewed as defining of an entire generation of viewers. Their directorial sophomore effort is an even more ambitious work, coming in the form of I Saw the TV Glow, which revolves around a pair of childhood best friends who bonded in their earlier years over their shared love of an obscure young adult horror show, but as they grow older they begin to find the previously well-established boundary between real life and fantasy becoming far too difficult to make out, leading them down a path of existential horror as they begin to question reality and their place within it. Unconventional and unhinged, but bound together by a sense of fascination with a number of different themes relating to identity and the role the media plays in guiding us to realize our inner selves, I Saw the TV Glow is quite an accomplishment, a film that is not easy to decipher at first, but which flourishes in our minds as we allow these unforgettable images to glide into our sub-conscious, creating an unorthodox work that dares to ask vital but genuinely challenging questions that many others filmmakers have been too apprehensive to examine in their own works.

Schoenbrun is a truly fascinating filmmaker, not solely for the stories that they tells, but also their fervent fascination with different styles of storytelling, using various motifs that would not normally have much dramatic impact, and reworking them to feel like fascinating insights into the lives of their characters. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is a sombre and unsettling glimpse into the online world that provides insights into the lives of young people who use the internet as a source of comfort and a place where they can find the sense of belonging they crave but can’t find in reality. I Saw the TV Glow takes a similar approach, albeit redirecting the story through the concept of television, a device used by many young people to escape into their own minds. In both instances, the director uses these familiar motifs as the source of a very specific kind of horror, which is even more prominent with this film, which presents itself as a tribute to analogue horror, a sub-genre that has mostly been restricted to experimental filmmakers, as it is very rarely something that easily translates to film in much the same way as other forms of horror. Schoenbrun brings this specific kind of unsettling imagery to the mainstream in this film, which evokes a certain set of ideas around the legacy of television and how something so simple can be integral to the psychological and ideological development of many young people. We often underestimate the way certain forms of media can influence impressionable minds, which is the fundamental premise of this film, and arguably the entire reason it feels so incredibly genuine in its perspective. That feeling of becoming infatuated with a certain piece of media to the point where it starts to become part of your personality is well-represented in this film, which forms its entire premise around this unique and indescribable experience that many of us would have encountered at some point in our childhoods.

Much like their previous film (as well as some of the work they did earlier in their career as a producer and writer), Schoenbrun crafts I Saw the TV Glow as a coming-of-age story, focused on a lonely individual as they navigate the treacherous terrain that occurs in the ambigious space between late adolescence and early adulthood, which is where they are many of the most formative events occur, particularly those relating to our eventual identity. This is the time when we ask ourselves a series of questions in an effort to understand who we truly are, and where we hope our lives will lead eventually. This film is very clearly quite a personal work for the director, who has used their artistry as a way of exploring their own queerness, particularly the challenging journey they took towards self-realization, something that will resonate with many viewers. It’s admirable the extent to which this film makes its queerness obvious – far too many socially-charged horror films choose to stop at mere implication, whereas this film is quite open about its subtext, and while the terms are not explicitly used, any critical thinker will see the countless allusions to trans identity peppered liberally throughout the film. There are several intentional ambiguities throughout I Saw the TV Glow, but the fact that it is a story about a queer teenager undergoing the process of questioning this gender is certainly not one of them. The marriage of queer themes and horror is one that has existed since the inception of this genre of literature, and Schoenbrun is simply continuing this legacy by exploring the concept of othering and the feeling of going against what many consider to be the natural order of society, and how the consequences can be quite unsettling when someone is trapped in a position from which they don’t know how to escape. This also speaks to the coming-of-age narrative that this film mostly follows, showing the various trials and tribulations of a queer individual as they navigate the challenges that come with realizing that they need to seek out their own happiness and sense of self-acceptance since it isn’t going to come to them as easily as it does for their more conventional peers who seem to have a much easier time throughout life.

I Saw the TV Glow contains a few remarkable performances, particularly from Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, both of whom are bright young talents who have proven themselves to be capable actors in the past, but only now seem to have started to find their niche as actors. Smith is the primary lead, playing the part of Owen, a young man coming from a family whose rules are not only harsh but force him into a constant sense of being restricted from living his life. It’s a remarkable performance, one that is driven by small emotions and wordless moments, to the point where the character’s sporadic breakdowns become extremely disturbing, haunting the film despite only occupying a few brief moments. Lundy-Paine weaves in and out of the film, playing perhaps the only person who can understand the protagonist and his perspective, which makes sense considering their character is the only other discernibly queer individual in the film. I Saw the TV Glow is constructed as a story of friendship between these two characters, but not in the traditional sense – for most of the film, their interactions are tense and uncomfortable, which is not a signal that these characters are at all in opposition to one another, but rather the contrary: they’re young queer individuals who have only now started to grow into their identity, and in finding a kindred spirit, they begin to realize that there is a way out of this banal existence, which both excites and terrifies them as they set out to lead the lives they feel they deserve, which is not an easy task. Both actors are incredible, and they manage to avoid overwrought tics, instead relying on the director’s masterful guidance in bringing these characters to life. They’re simple performances on the surface, but they carry such intensity, that it’s impossible to not feel utterly moved by the actors and their work. There are many moving parts in I Saw the TV Glow, but its thorough commitment to creating these complex, fascinating characters is one of its biggest strengths and the primary reason it becomes such a beautiful and poetic work that isn’t restricted by the genre in which it was crafted.

The multitude of incredible ideas and exceptional approach to world-building and characterization are immediate signs that I Saw the TV Glow is a special film, but they’re not enough to entirely convince us of the sometimes peculiar aspects of the narrative, which are extremely unconventional and not easily understood on these elements alone. Instead, the brilliance of this film comes in how Schoenbrun handles the material from a tonal and atmospheric point of view. The director has a clear voice when it comes to the tone of their films, with both features taking place in these dull, sullen versions of reality where it seems like everyone is in some kind of dazed state, and where only the protagonist and perhaps one or two other supporting characters seem to be actually aware of the surrounding world. It’s undeniable that the themes that this film explores are extremely intense and volatile, which makes the director’s decision to step away from hysterical expressions of emotion and instead present a more nuanced and off-kilter approach all the more admirable since there is very little room for anything heavy-handed, which makes an enormous difference when examining how this film approaches certain subjects. It feels as if we are peering into the lives of the protagonists, becoming passive voyeurs into their journey to realize their gender, which gives the film a sense of intimacy and also helps contribute to the stream-of-consciousness structure that gradually envelopes the story. The boundary between reality and fiction, as well as the past and the present, begins to blur and it eventually descends into a nightmarish fever dream of a film, in which nothing makes sense, time is an optional construct and the overall experience is one that is not driven by any narrative cues, but rather the atmosphere, which is dense and terrifying, but also profoundly cathartic in a way that will speak to the soul of any young queer person who is attempting to navigate the world that surrounds them. There are multitudes of ideas contained within the many silent moments that punctuate this film, and Schoenbrun’s refusal to rely on nostalgia as a narrative or tonal crutch is equally interesting and vital to the experience.

A strange, disquieting and daring piece of cinema that is as audacious as it is unsettling, I Saw the TV Glow is a major achievement that springs from the unconventional but exceptionally gifted mind of one of the great artists of their generation. Their directorial prowess is never in doubt for a single moment, and the manner in which Schoenbrun balances both a high-concept narrative and the many underlying themes is remarkable, and only made more awe-inspiring by the way these ideas are brought to fruition through the execution. Clearly committed to realizing their stories in a manner that is as daring as the ideas that inform it, I Saw the TV Glow is visually stunning, with many striking compositions lingering with the viewer as we make our way through this story. The use of music is also quite remarkable, with the ethereal but pulsating score, coupled with a few songs that populate the film, contributing to the sense of angst and confusion felt by these characters. These components are all beautifully tied together by the extraordinary performances by Smith and Lundy-Paine, who deliver stellar work that is as simple but evocative as the film that surrounds them, consisting of numerous layers and guiding us through a confusing but entrancing story that is only elevated by the dedication from absolutely everyone involved. It’s bespoke, unconventional filmmaking that is fearless in its decision to take bold swings – and ultimately, it doesn’t even seem like the director is too concerned about succeeding, since this story is clearly very personal and being given the chance to tell it in such an artistically-profound way could not be anything other than cathartic. Detailed in some areas and profoundly ambiguous in others, I Saw the TV Glow is a poignant and disquieting existential odyssey centred around queerness and the journey those who don’t adhere to the status quo have to embark on to find any sense of self-acceptance or joy. It’s not a film that is easy to decipher, but we ultimately aren’t asked to make sense of these many ideas. Instead, it will resonate deeply with those who feel represented by the story, while those on the outskirts will be given invaluable and unconventional insights into the experiences of the queer community. Beautifully poetic and utterly unsettling, I Saw the TV Glow is bound to become a definitive entry into the modern queer canon, as well as being one of the most original and daring films of the present decade.