The 576th film I have seen in theaters…

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How the hell do I explain this movie? Its all about the subtext. Let’s see…

Owen is a kid that is….nah. That isn’t right.

Maddy is a 9th grader who…nope.

It is a movie about the 1990’s. A love letter really to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as queer/trans folks who are struggling with their identities. Its also a call to action/cautionary tale against inaction.

As I said, tough to summarize.

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Justice Smith, who is a FANTASTIC actor, previously seen in Detective Pikachu and Dungeons and Dragons, plays Owen. Owen is a young man struggling with his identity. He feels there is something wrong with him, but he cannot explain it. This was a phenomenal performance. The guy really knocked it out of the park, especially at the end. Smith is on my shortlist of actors to watch for.

I love this actor. Jack Haven is incredibly effective as a performer. They can nail that awkwardness in a way that seems completely natural. They were last seen in Bill & Ted 3. They were Ted’s daughter. I was amazed at how Haven channeled Keanu. This film is a fantastic exhibition of their skill as well.

Appearing in a cameo is Amber Benson, seen here in a very blurry photo from 2003 with yours truly. There was a LOT of Buffy callbacks in this film, and seeing Benson show up was a nice touch, especially with a fictional character named Tara being involved.

This one snuck up on me, and I find it is staying with me. This is not an easy movie. It does not explain itself. It ends rather abruptly too, leaving the audience questioning what they have just seen. There is no happy ending. There is no resolution either, or maybe there is. I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that this movie tapped into something, and that something was deep.

David Lynch once wrote: “Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re beautiful.”

‘I saw the TV Glow’ is a big fish and I suspect it will have a long life, probably as a cult film, Jane Schoenbrun was fishing deep on this one. A24 does it again.

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8/10

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