I Saw the TV Glow

"Most disappointing movie experience of the year goes to…. I soooooo wanted to love this movie cuz I’ve been looking forward it all year! But unfortunately, it doesn’t have much to offer outside of cool aesthetics. And it’s not even scary either! The whole thing felt disjointed and I kept getting lost. The movie ended abruptly and left me feeling like “HUUUH?”"

"4¾⭐/5⭐ + Psychological horror in the purest sense. This made me realize why horror movies don't scare me anymore: true horror is living a life of regret, or spending a lifetime in jealousy, or not just losing someone you love, but feeling that you failed them and will never be able to make it right because they are gone. It isn't a monster chasing you down corridors or aliens exploding out of your chest. It isn't about being possessed by a supernatural entity, but being possessed by selfishness, self-doubt... fear. Having these emotions control your life is scarier than any monster that claws, or screeches, or chases. Worst of all it is the fear of letting yourself down so drastically that you will never be able to make peace with it. It is in these deeper horrors where this movie does its work. One may say that these characters are caught in an abysmal void, but I would suggest they are loathing themselves while standing in the shallow end of the pool. The insight that this movie has is unparalleled in contemporary film, eclipsing even Jordan Peele's symbolic treasure trove of horror. The last scene is one of the most haunting endings I have ever seen, and presents it with very little gore. It may go there for a second, but it doesn't live there. This is how horror can be beneficial as an art style. It's a mirror that shows us the parts of ourselves we would rather not see, not to exploit our fears, but to help us see them and question them. - The structure of the plot is a bit clumsy at times, and can be hard to get into during the beginning. I thought that the TV show angle, though poignant for what it was, missed an even bigger opportunity, maybe because the director didn't see it. I know this sounds vague, but I really don't want to ruin the ending for anyone. Maybe you will know what I mean when you see it, but it irked me from a technical standpoint in terms of plot. It keeps this from being a perfect 5⭐ rating, but it's closer to that than 4⭐."

"The reviews reflect the fact that this film is sui generis: not really horror, not quite fantasy or supernatural, but a bit of all of those and very disturbing. It tracks the relationship between these two teens for 20+ years, revolving around the 1990s TV show at the center of the story, ‘The Pink Opaque.’ For one, it becomes a substitute for reality, the source of and explanation for her alienation. Owen wants to follow her into the obsession, but can’t quite bring himself to do it, but as he grows up, he finds that without the show and his friend his life is distorted and empty. The film suggests that when we allow the TV’s glow to take over our lives, the result is never good. Simple yet visually striking and thought-provoking."

"oh. "

"amazing but it was SO overstimulating. i feel like i need to lie down in a sensory deprivation chamber. i nearly had a panic attack. i cried in the bathroom afterwards. beautiful amazing thought provoking but holy **** i'm never seeing this in theaters ever again, i need to watch it alone in my room "

"This movie is for a specific niche of people and I am not one of them. It disturbed me and was not an easy or enjoyable watch. Definitely do well at a film festival but perhaps not made for big picture production. After hearing further opinions on the film I may change my rating but after viewing I feel it was not something I wish I watched - Brigette Lundy-Paine did a incredible job, Their erie seriousness was captivating and performed a noteworthy monoluge toward the end of the movie. They played Maddie in different ages and stages of life and did a good job acting appropriately to the age range and immersing the watcher in their expirence. "

"I love A24, but this fell way short for me! The lead actor was good, but the movie was just off for me!!"

"a really good representation of repression and how it erodes the soul. the hazy nothingness of a half life and the profound clarity of what would fulfill it"

"I can't explain what this movie did to me. it felt like it dug deep inside me and opened me raw. It was like watching all those feelings I've had about my own identity on screen. watching this movie was like being 14 year old me again, sitting alone in my basement, crying because I didn't know who I was, I just knew I was different, I knew something was wrong but I wasn't able to see what it was. this is such an emotional movie to me. It's so special, and it feels so close to home. it's going to become a comfort movie now, a movie that I watch when I question my identity again. afterwords all I could do was sit there, watching the credits, unable to move. the world felt so quiet afterwards. It felt so raw."

"Had a panic attack at the end of the film. Um.. "