I Saw the TV Glow

An intense teenage mind-melt from A24 studios that has been described as a trans horror allegory.

Teenager Owen (Justice Smith) is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

“Astonishingly beautiful and vulnerable, I Saw the TV Glow’s surreal art-horror speaks to lonely teenagers, past and present.” ~Katie Rife, IGN

“The film is among the most profound—and, yes, important—pieces of trans fiction that I’ve yet seen, vividly staged with bold, declarative style while remaining beguilingly elusive.” ~Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

“Manages to be enveloping without being inviting and to offer a sense of emotional intimacy without requiring that those emotions be comprehensible.” ~Alison Willmore, Vulture

“This character-centered setup is where I Saw the TV Glow is most affecting, grounded by the tense, tacit bond between two highly guarded people — and given an electric jolt by Lundy-Paine’s fragile, volatile performance as someone certain there’s no accepting place for them outside the rectangular confines of the TV set.” ~Guy Lodge, Variety