I Saw the TV Glow: Emotionally Devastating

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Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow! Owen’s curiosity in a late-night television show called “The Pink Opaque” leads him to meet Maddy, an upper-classmen at his school. Sounds normal, but it’s an off-beat arthouse coming-of-age psychological drama (with a tinge of horror) from the director of We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, so of course there’s more to it! Tune in now!

Topics:

• Most people over the age of, like, 40 years will likely reject the film as too weird or too complex, as a lot of what’s at play is very late Millennial/Gen Z.
• Melvin found the film “emotionally devastating”, and begins to explore what that means to him.
• A lot of dialogue personally connected with Melvin, whereas a lot of visuals personally connected with Kathryn, and the two share specifics.
• Melvin shares how Cinematic Doctrine hasn’t really talked about LGBTQIA+ topics on the podcast because it’s such a loaded topic in the Christian community. Even so, one of I Saw the TV Glow’s main topics of exploration is gender identity and fluidity, and how it correlates to the coming-of-age experience. As such, they get into the weeds.
• Does it really make sense to gender-restrict activities when they have nothing to do with one’s born-sexuality? How do things in the real world become representative of genitalia?
• Television may exist in I Saw the TV Glow to represent desire, and the dichotomy between getting lost in the fantasies of our desires or being propelled to act on our desires.
• Owen’s decision at the end of the film hits the way it does because he’s finally making a decision about what he’s endured the whole film.
• I Saw the TV Glow is extremely dense and profoundly nuanced, and Melvin is positive that Kathryn and he have barely scratched the surface.

Recommendations:

• Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) (Documentary)
• Smile 2 (2024) (Movie)

I Saw the TV Glow is Rated PG-13 for violent content, some sexual material, thematic elements and teen smoking. It features Justice Smith, Jack Haven, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Danielle Deadwyler, and Fred Durst. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun. I Saw the TV Glow is available here.

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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!

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