I just watched the movie and i will be so honest if i saw ppl laughing during that scene i would have been so personally upset, and im glad that you took time to point out that some people have no media literacy, and i am so pleasantly surprised at how you state you are cis/het but you get such a clear grasp of how the story is viewed through the queer (and neurodivergent) lens. I appreciate that there are people like you with good media literacy and take the time to listen to others perspectives of the story and incorporate that into their own. I completely agree with the feeling of being a little disconnected from the main characters relationship and the characters themselves because i enjoy character driven stories aswell, and i definitely feel like they could have portrayed a deeper bond between the two because through a neurodivergent viewpoint, although their are times when we can be awkward and be seen as “alien-like” to others, we can still have deep connections with people. But to what i saw it felt like there was a distance or disconnection between them and their interactions even though they have a bond that shares a deep resonation with a show that they both feel represents them. And thank you for sharing this as your personal experience of the movie instead of “this is what the movie means, and how your supposed to see it” i really appreciate that, much love ❤
it was truly disappointing to witness reactions like that and i found that even more unfortunate that others who deeply resonated with this story had the same thing happen... and i thank you so much for your input love!! it is true that even if there's a distance between them, their closeness lies in how they resonate with the show, which is the center of the story. it is a narrative driven film after all, can't expect a deep dive in the characters! glad that im not the only one who felt that way tho :) much love sent your way as well 💞
I think that maybe some people in the theater were laughing awkwardly! Especially when we are presented with pieces of media this heartwrenching, in a new and unexpected way, a lot of people, including neurodivergent people, don't know how to react and laughter can be a coping mechanism. As a neurodivergent person, I can sympathize with seeing a scene with a confusing tone (at first glance), not knowing how you are supposed to react, and laughing because you think that is what you are supposed to do or because it is awkward. Not saying that was everyone though, and I understand why it would feel really upsetting, just trying to make space for people with different experiences!
I can't imagine seeing that ending scream at the birthday party and laughing. It was so viscerally painful as a trans person. It was a scene about immense suffering that the people around Owen either failed or deliberately refused to see. I suppose I'm glad I watched this movie privately because I don't think I would have handled people laughing at that very well. I appreciate the discussion about this movie from an analytical standpoint rather than all the "what REALLY happened" videos ❤
I can understand laughing from inappropriate affect perspective. I laughed at things when i was hella ubcomfy growing up which got me in trouble but genuine laughter nope those people can get fucked.
When I showed this movie to my mom she laughed during his scene because of how uncomfortable she was. I know of, and have heard of lots of people that get so uncomfortable they don't know what to do so they laugh like my mom.
i loved this movie but I’ve largely been avoiding discussion of it online - most of what my algorithm has been feeding me has been “Ending Explained” videos and there’s nothing I want to hear less lol. This is the first UA-cam video about it that I’ve watched and I’m so glad you took the time to talk about how you reacted to the movie rather than trying to make it “make sense”
You saying it was "Pisces and Aquarius coded" I gasped! I'm an Aquarius with a Pisces rising and LOVED the movie's weirdness - while also letting it shatter my heart.
This is such an excellent review. The movie deeply resonated with me and is easily my favorite of the entire year (and an all time favorite) even if I didn't necessarily understand what every scene meant thematically or how it all connected. And watching people talk about it like this is what truly makes me appreciate it even more, because it's absolutely a movie meant to be discussed and pieced together through sharing perspectives. For example I completely missed that the light inside of Owen is his true self begging to be let out - chaotic and messy but also beautiful and vibrant. I did think of it as a visual metaphor for being trans as we see it a couple times in the movie before and when he opened up near the end it was a moment of realization that what he's been trying to run away from is still inside and grown even bigger than before, but you've made me realize that it's even more layered than that. From my personal experience the symbolism I caught that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else yet is the idea of being buried alive. I'm not trans myself but I was a closeted gay man for a while and I think dysphoria is a very similar feeling of being suffocated, but slowly. Burying yourself alive feels like you're directly confronting that feeling, acknowledging how suffocated you feel and facing it head-on so that you can come out on the other side better for it. (And what is a casket if not a horizontal closet for human bodies) (Also Jane's previous movie We're All Going to the World's Fair is also a masterpiece and I cannot recommend it enough. Not as good as I Saw the TV Glow but it's still a 9/10 as opposed to a 10/10 for me)
This movie was so horrifying but so comforting at the same time for me. I felt like I could see myself in both Owen and Mandy, while watching the movie. I’m trans and neurodivergent. I’ve always felt like a black sheep, suffocating in what feels like a tight space and not wanting to confront why I felt like that. My friends have moved on, like Amanda did to Maddy, while I’m still stuck with my “childish” interest. My pink opaque basically. I could honestly go on and on but my writing isn’t very good and I’m honestly still repressing who I am right now. But life is hard and I don’t feel like who I really am but this movie was amazing. So SO amazing. It felt like the first time I’ve been properly listened to and understood.
I understand the people who saw the ending as sad, I even felt the same right after watching, but after a few minutes of digesting it I came away feeling extremely hopeful and happy. "There's still time" is the message that I got, and believe the film was going for. Even if you're old, close to death, feeling trapped and alone, as long as you're alive you CAN be who you are and find happiness in being true to yourself
opening the video with your face covering most of the screen, carefully whispering "I'm an ally" in defense kind of gave me ASMR and idk what to think about that.
I found Matty's dialogue to be gripping and horrifying. She was describing a complete descent into dangerous insanity, and an attempt at suicide in the worst possible way. I thought that there was a weird chemistry between the two, these two weird teens who bond over a weird. TV show. I thought that he had a c rush on her. He accepted that the relationship would never become physical, but he wanted it too. Perhaps that was me projecting how I felt as a cis het youth. Who knows. But It also. It seemed that whenever she seemed to mad at him, she then said something that indicated the opposite, she was really open with him about things that she would not tell most people. And vice versa. It did seem like he loved her, and she returned to her hometown to find him because she needed him to feel complete. That was. What made his final unkind, though understandable, way of finally rejecting her so sad. She came to believe that the two girls who stared in the show WERE Owen and. Mattie. And they both perceived it that way to a degree. They were two teen girls, one white, one brown. They were a teen girl and boy, the same colors. But Owen was inwardly feminine, a feeling that he completely repressed except when he was around Mattie. Heck, he even sometimes wore a pink dress, the same as what the girls in the show wore. Later, he realized that the show was not at all like they had remembered it. The.girls were not even teens. They were children, And the show was a show for children, not teens. They had both shared an essentially delusional projection of themselves into the show. And the music scenes didn't bother me. There was one part with a. close up of a munition's face that was so androgynous that I could not tell if it was a man or a woman until the cameraman pulled out, and I saw her hair. That kind of lines up with the theme of the movie.
What pissed me off is that all of the songs were "covers" of original songs from the 90s which totally ruined the nostalgia. If anything this is "fauxstalgia" where a kid raised in the 2000's looks back on how they would have imagined "growing up in the 90s" would be. The song you were singing was from a band called "The Broken Social Scene" which would have been WAY BETTER if they just used the originals and would have also been cool to show this generation some of those old songs that were more underground than mainstream. Also, I feel like if someone says they didn't like the movie people are so quick to say "you just didn't get it" when in reality this film was not complicated at all. In fact, it's the opposite. I just found the plot line of the movie wasn't that deep. It gave me r/im14andthisisdeep vibes which is why I'm not suprised most of the people liking the film are all around the same age.
i kinda understand where you are coming from! i have only got to know the songs through this movie as i was born in the early 2000's and enjoyed discovering the originals. and god i wasn't trying to have a "you don't get it" attitude lmfao 😭although i do disagree with some reviews and im sure you have seen many people miss the point of the film entirely. good that it was easy for you to see! it's fair if it's not that deep for you, for others it was
@@nisrinesinternetspace Well thank you for at least hearing my take and not automatically assuming things. I did enjoy the visuals which originally attracted me to the movie I just think if approached slightly different that it wouldn't have wasted potential like more dialogue between the characters like you mentioned and a few other things. Oh btw if you're into A24 you should check out NEON which is another production/distribution company that releases films with a kind of similar vibe. You might like the stuff their releasing.
I really don't think that most people who say "you just didn't get it" mean it as "you didn't understand the movie's message". I think they're talking about FEELING it and deeply resonating with it (but yes, some are replying like this to those who actually didn't understand the trans and queer themes of the story, but that is not what I'll be writing about ). /gen Trans people who have experienced the same/similiar trans pain and struggles as in the movie, feel a deep connection with it, because being trans is such a unique experience, that cis people will never truly understand (as in relate to on a deeper level). It's really personal, not a "one fits all" type of movie (it doesn't "do it" even for some trans people) and the mixed reviews really show that (that is not a bad thing whatsoever, it's just an observation). For many, the movie doesn't just end, they go back to their own Midnight Realm. I'm really happy to see, that this movie made so many people start their transition, go back to their transition, feel seen in their transition. People are trying to get out of the Midnight Realm and it's a wonderful thing to witness. You might call it "fake deep", but this movie is actually life saving for trans folks who have given up on themselves, because now they know that "there is still time". I have seen so many people of all ages (especially those over 30) who have finally found hope and motivation to transition, because of this movie, so I can guarantee that it's not only teens that love this one. I personally adore this movie, no other media was able to make me feel so seen. No other media understood my pain and was able to portray it this welll. I wasn't able to sleep for a few days after watching it for the first time and I still can't stop thinking about it, because it was so impactful and personal to me. It might sound "dramatic" and all, but that's how I and many other folks feel. Trans people don't have many pieces of media that have good representation, are made by trans people and are for trans people. Our stories are rarely "ours" and are made to be "digestable" for cis audiences. This one is about us, by us and for us (obviously anyone can enjoy it and find it somehow relatable, but it is mainly a trans story after all). It's definitely not a movie for everyone and that's good, cause not every movie has to appeal to all audiences. It is also very abstract and focuses more on visual stroytelling, so that also isn't something that many people like. So it's completely okay and valid to not like the movie and to not resonate with it. People who say otherwise, are just immature and don't understand the concept of different people liking different things. It actually is a "the ones that get it, get it, the ones that don't, don't" type of movie, but not in a "you're too stupid to understand its' meaning" way, it's just really personal. I hope that I made you understend a different perspective than your own a bit more :) Not trying to make you like the movie, just trying to explain why so many people do like it. And I'm definitely not defending people who say "you just didn't get it" to sound cooler and feel more intelligent, I'm only talking about those who actually meant that it's not a story for everyone to resonate with and understand on a personal level. I'm really sorry for my bad English and all of the spelling mistakes. English is not my first language and I don't have autocorrect on, but I tried my best to write a comment that is easy to understand. Hope everyone who is reading this has a lovely day/night!
Just wanted to say, Mister Melancholy is not really a representation of dysphoria! Dysphoria is closely aligned with the 'traditional trans narrative' that has been perpetuated by straight directors and actors that the director of this film, Jane Schoenbrun, voiced in an interview that she tried to stay away from. She said that the ultimate villain in this movie is the gaze on these characters and Mr. Melancholy represents this by looking down upon them from the sky and controlling who they can be. While dysphoria is something that can come from external factors, is is an internal feeling that not all trans people experience. I believe Jane is trying to instead speak to the controlling nature and violence that this external gaze of society is imposing onto queer bodies and identities. Here is the full quote from the interview Jane did with Film Comment: "The villain in I Saw the TV Glow ultimately is the gaze on these characters. That’s why Mr. Melancholy stares down at them from the sky, keeping them obedient, letting them know that they are looked at, and that that look is going to control who they can be. I try to make work that is aware of this control and comes from an anti-fascist perspective that believes that kind of power can be attacked. "
Wah, I looked into the article you referred to and it's such a great well-rounded interview! I see that I was wrong in my interpretation, I am grateful you took the time to comment this, it makes a lot of sense. One of the main reasons I thought he represented dysphoria was because melancholy used to be a symptom doctors would associate with dysphoria, but it would be nonsensical to refer to something that was concluded to be wrong. It would also explain why Owen (or rather Isabela) always acted fearful, like something was watching and pressuring her.
As a trans woman, especially as one who transitioned later in life, after trying to ignore my identity for a long time, this movie really hit me hard. I was sobbing by the end. It was a wonderful movie, though! I agree that the music performances disrupted the flow a bit. Great review!
I think the lack of chemistry is fitting, because Owen is not really who they are, actually both of them are hiding who they really are, so having a deep connection actually would ruin the vibe that they're supposed to have.
i think the music performances were to show owen's mental state and his reaction to what maddy was saying to him. she was monologuing and owen was overthinking and the music communicated that without making the dialogue unnatural for the sake of the viewers understanding. that's just my interpretation
@@nisrinesinternetspace I found your review very thorough. It’s cool you mentioned the connection some neurodivergent fans shared with Owen. His anxiety and uncertainty reminded me of myself in the late 90s.
can you please do a video about ''the end of the fucking world'' its a show that is rarely talked about and i found it a great representation of mental health and dealing with trauma
A a fellow cis het (presumably Canadian) i love ved this movie. I am the same age as Maddie and i really related to processing trauma by falling into fantasy and media. There are few shots that really hit home what owen is trying to repress. Especially the use of the song you sing a bit if, Anthem for a 17 year old girl.
I"VE BEEN SAYING ITS SO PISCES CODED!!!! Also it is very refreshing to see a cis person understanding these points on their own by watching and researching! I have seen WAY too many cis people talk about how bad this movie is and how it should be more blatant in its themes. Thank you!
i feel bad cuz i laughed at the part where he said "I think i like tv shows.." when asked about his sexuality, and also at the drive-threw scene when the intercom was all distorted
omg i giggled at those parts too! i believe those moments were meant to be funny so you really shouldn't feel bad about it, i was talking about the people who made fun of the characters throughout the duration of the film (which unfortunately happened in the theater i went to)
I think the movie shows us a very surface-level perspective of Owen's character because their sense of self is very surface-level. Owen is disconnected from their life and their identity, the only thing they're sure of and willing to explore is their love of the Pink Opaque, so I honestly think it's quite fitting that all we learn about them is their connection to the show. I don't think we're supposed to know more. The bond between Owen and Maddy also felt purposefully awkward and disconnected as they're both not truly themselves. It would be impossible to form deeper connections with each other as their "personalities" don't go any deeper than what we're shown.
I'm not even an "ally" and I enjoyed this movie. I think politicization of trans has been disastrous for everybody, including trans people, including LGB, because the cynical elements of your ruling class have tried to use sexual minorities as a culture war bludgeon and turned LGBTQ into foot soldiers and hall monitors for a failed boomer era system that is in its twilight phase. Younger people without historical context don't understand this about it. They don't see that their ruling class patrons who woke wash neoliberal economic and foreign policy are actually the bad guys. But that's why this movie works. It's not actually gender ideology propaganda. The film isn't political marketing or a commercial for a particular ideological tendency. It's just a great film which does what all great art does: It honestly express personal subjective experience. The movie certainly does have a perspective that is both ideological and political, but it's coming from a place of honesty, not ham fisted partisanship and contempt for the imagined audience that needs to be lectured or "educated." Jane has said in interviews that she didn't "crowdsource" the movie by ticking all the necessary gender ideology boxes for the purpose of messaging. She just looked inside herself and articulated what she found there. The irony is that if you wanted to reach people and change their minds about trans or sexual minorities generally, this is the only way you could do it. I'm not even particularly left wing and I'm certain critical of "woke," but even I was engaged by this and it made me reconsider my perspective. A film like this makes it much harder to disregard the experiences of people who disagree with you politically. It reminds you that their political inclinations are shaped by their real world personal experiences of the given society and culture, and those experiences matter. I'd argue this is the best film that has come out this year.
"art disturbs the comforted and comforts the disturbed". i thought you could only exist on one side of this spectrum, until watching this film. i have never finished a horror film feeling shaken to my core in such a dual way.
19:00 this is exactly how i view life at this point in time. i am forever ebbing and flowing, changing and evolving. that is something so beautiful and comforting to me because the more I learn and experience, the more I change. I am personally very happy with where my life is going and I am finally starting to feel comfortable being myself. and if I ever feel lost or have moments of weakness, the inner drive to keep experiencing life and to keep living will continue ti illuminate my path
I haven’t seen the movie but I have seen videos walking about it and I don’t think that Owen/Isabelle is asexual aromantic I think he/she is bisexual, because the parachute is the colors of the trans flag and the bi flag *i’m pretty sure* (trans flag is white blue and pink, the bi flag is blue, pink, and purple) and the fact that Owen says that he doesn’t know if he likes girls he knows he likes TV, and then saying he knows there something different about him but doesn’t want to look at it…kind of tells you that he just has no idea who he is yet because he hasn’t even tried looking into it or attempting to figure it out, so really he could be any sexuality but he isn’t even willing to accept he’s really a woman so anything more than that is equally as daunting i’m sure
Nice to hear that u r cis hetero. I like cis hetero girls. I love also trance and gay persons. But cis heteros i like a lil bit more. Espcialy with sweet passionate curly hair. Ps: Nice video. I wish u the best start. the niche market movie was a nice choice. I think the guys from the big movie channels didnt understand the movie thats why they have no review about it 😅 me either
12:59 I think it seemed like there was no chemistry between them Owen was still too afraid to be themself. You can’t exactly have chemistry if one person realized who they are and the other person doesn’t want to be that other person. The other person being Isabel. I think Isabella and Tara have the deep chemistry. While Owen and Maddie are just friends. 13:22 I agree to what you’re saying here🎉
Thanks for giving us your impressions, I'm glad to see more people talking about movies like this. Sadly, it either wasn't available in my area theaters or only for so short a time that I missed it, so I had to wait until it came to VOD. While the trans narrative (it's too explicit to be called a mere theme or allegory imho) didn't speak to me personally, I still found plenty of things to relate to, as a former weirdo kid and current weirdo adult. I grew up watching shows like "Pete & Pete" (the lead actors from which have a cameo in this movie) and "Eerie, Indiana" so I definitely would have tuned into "The Pink Opaque" in those days. The more I ruminate over my viewing of "I Saw The TV Glow," the more I liked it. If nothing else, it's a challenging film such as this is a welcome divergence from all the boilerplate action/sci-fi I tend to watch. I do want to say one other thing, re: the people who laughed in the theater. Not to speak in their defense, but for my part, I also initially laughed at Owen's birthday party freakout. Not because I found it funny, but because I found it deeply uncomfortable. I've long since developed the habit of using humor as a defense mechanism, which is pretty common when you have trouble relating to other people and find yourself needing to defuse social tension. Obviously, there's a difference between a nervous chuckle and buffoonish guffawing, but I had to put that out there.
thanks to you for watching! i know, it really sucked to see that it wasn't more available... i saw people talking about how its preferable to not view this movie as exclusively a trans narrative (which i get) hence why it has been referred to as an allegory but it is pretty explicit! i share the same feeling as you, i've grown pretty fond of this movie. i can't bare to watch it again as it really hit me but im sure i'll watch it again and appreciate it more. also pls do not feel bad! i understand that some laughed out of discomfort, it was meant to call out those who's laughter was vicious! this film was really intense and had an eerie sense of dread, i completely get having to find a way to let that out.
Wonderful video! The discussion near the end, particularly on not wasting your time and on the evolving nature of purpose and identity and meaning, struck me on a very personal level as deeply intuitive and wise. Thank you, definitely hitting that subscribe button.
I'm not a cis hetero, but I feel this movie, while very clearly being about queerness in some level, is not exclusively a "trans" or "queer" movie, and I feel that discussion is simplifying the themes of the movie a little bit. I think it's about identity in general, about being honest with who you are, not hiding it. I read someone describing this movie as a "violent call-out to be yourself" and I think that describes the movie pretty well, and I feel pretty much anyone who's had identity issues or trouble expressing themselves, queerness aside, can relate to this movie. I didn't get THAT much queer vibes from the movie, but that's just how I perceived it. Still one of my favorite movies I've watched this year, absolutely amazing
i agree!! definitely not exclusively queer, hence why i made a video on it and highlighted that i am not part of the community. anyone could benefit from watching, because it is mainly about identity and identity is complex, broad and undefinable. but i feel like it's fair to point out for those who the queer elements went over their head (which i saw happen i few times!). and you and i both, this movie will stay close to my heart :)
I was completely lost after watching it so i watched some explanations of it on YT and found out the guy is trans. I didnt get that at all while watching and neither did my wife. It makes more sense now but the dreamlike quality of the movie makes it harder to see those things. Its not very grounded but this was on purpose obviously. Knowing more about it makes it a bit better but its not a very good movie imo.
i've talked with some who were utterly confused after watching, it's a fair reaction! for people who don't label themselves as queer, it would be hard to follow a story like this if you haven't been around people who are. and i have also seen multiple people who are queer not enjoy this movie or not resonate with it at all. hence why i love the conversations around this movie, everyone has their perspective to share!
I just watched the movie and i will be so honest if i saw ppl laughing during that scene i would have been so personally upset, and im glad that you took time to point out that some people have no media literacy, and i am so pleasantly surprised at how you state you are cis/het but you get such a clear grasp of how the story is viewed through the queer (and neurodivergent) lens. I appreciate that there are people like you with good media literacy and take the time to listen to others perspectives of the story and incorporate that into their own. I completely agree with the feeling of being a little disconnected from the main characters relationship and the characters themselves because i enjoy character driven stories aswell, and i definitely feel like they could have portrayed a deeper bond between the two because through a neurodivergent viewpoint, although their are times when we can be awkward and be seen as “alien-like” to others, we can still have deep connections with people. But to what i saw it felt like there was a distance or disconnection between them and their interactions even though they have a bond that shares a deep resonation with a show that they both feel represents them. And thank you for sharing this as your personal experience of the movie instead of “this is what the movie means, and how your supposed to see it” i really appreciate that, much love ❤
it was truly disappointing to witness reactions like that and i found that even more unfortunate that others who deeply resonated with this story had the same thing happen... and i thank you so much for your input love!! it is true that even if there's a distance between them, their closeness lies in how they resonate with the show, which is the center of the story. it is a narrative driven film after all, can't expect a deep dive in the characters! glad that im not the only one who felt that way tho :) much love sent your way as well 💞
yeah a lot of unsavory reactions in the theatre
I think that maybe some people in the theater were laughing awkwardly! Especially when we are presented with pieces of media this heartwrenching, in a new and unexpected way, a lot of people, including neurodivergent people, don't know how to react and laughter can be a coping mechanism. As a neurodivergent person, I can sympathize with seeing a scene with a confusing tone (at first glance), not knowing how you are supposed to react, and laughing because you think that is what you are supposed to do or because it is awkward. Not saying that was everyone though, and I understand why it would feel really upsetting, just trying to make space for people with different experiences!
Yea, but they were teenagers, what are you going to do? Teens will be teens.
I did giggle nervously, more of a "Aw, Owen, been there baby."
I can't imagine seeing that ending scream at the birthday party and laughing. It was so viscerally painful as a trans person. It was a scene about immense suffering that the people around Owen either failed or deliberately refused to see. I suppose I'm glad I watched this movie privately because I don't think I would have handled people laughing at that very well. I appreciate the discussion about this movie from an analytical standpoint rather than all the "what REALLY happened" videos ❤
I can understand laughing from inappropriate affect perspective. I laughed at things when i was hella ubcomfy growing up which got me in trouble but genuine laughter nope those people can get fucked.
Im trans and this is my new favourite movie i cried throughout it.
i think its the leads acting... in any project he WILDLY underdelivers on emotion unless its screaming or crying.
When I showed this movie to my mom she laughed during his scene because of how uncomfortable she was. I know of, and have heard of lots of people that get so uncomfortable they don't know what to do so they laugh like my mom.
i loved this movie but I’ve largely been avoiding discussion of it online - most of what my algorithm has been feeding me has been “Ending Explained” videos and there’s nothing I want to hear less lol. This is the first UA-cam video about it that I’ve watched and I’m so glad you took the time to talk about how you reacted to the movie rather than trying to make it “make sense”
You saying it was "Pisces and Aquarius coded" I gasped! I'm an Aquarius with a Pisces rising and LOVED the movie's weirdness - while also letting it shatter my heart.
ALLY!
ALLYYYYYY!!!
This is such an excellent review. The movie deeply resonated with me and is easily my favorite of the entire year (and an all time favorite) even if I didn't necessarily understand what every scene meant thematically or how it all connected. And watching people talk about it like this is what truly makes me appreciate it even more, because it's absolutely a movie meant to be discussed and pieced together through sharing perspectives.
For example I completely missed that the light inside of Owen is his true self begging to be let out - chaotic and messy but also beautiful and vibrant. I did think of it as a visual metaphor for being trans as we see it a couple times in the movie before and when he opened up near the end it was a moment of realization that what he's been trying to run away from is still inside and grown even bigger than before, but you've made me realize that it's even more layered than that.
From my personal experience the symbolism I caught that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else yet is the idea of being buried alive. I'm not trans myself but I was a closeted gay man for a while and I think dysphoria is a very similar feeling of being suffocated, but slowly. Burying yourself alive feels like you're directly confronting that feeling, acknowledging how suffocated you feel and facing it head-on so that you can come out on the other side better for it. (And what is a casket if not a horizontal closet for human bodies)
(Also Jane's previous movie We're All Going to the World's Fair is also a masterpiece and I cannot recommend it enough. Not as good as I Saw the TV Glow but it's still a 9/10 as opposed to a 10/10 for me)
This movie was so horrifying but so comforting at the same time for me. I felt like I could see myself in both Owen and Mandy, while watching the movie.
I’m trans and neurodivergent. I’ve always felt like a black sheep, suffocating in what feels like a tight space and not wanting to confront why I felt like that. My friends have moved on, like Amanda did to Maddy, while I’m still stuck with my “childish” interest. My pink opaque basically.
I could honestly go on and on but my writing isn’t very good and I’m honestly still repressing who I am right now.
But life is hard and I don’t feel like who I really am but this movie was amazing. So SO amazing. It felt like the first time I’ve been properly listened to and understood.
I understand the people who saw the ending as sad, I even felt the same right after watching, but after a few minutes of digesting it I came away feeling extremely hopeful and happy. "There's still time" is the message that I got, and believe the film was going for. Even if you're old, close to death, feeling trapped and alone, as long as you're alive you CAN be who you are and find happiness in being true to yourself
I think the weird music scenes were part of the 90’s tv motif. They’re based on similar scenes in Twin Peaks.
opening the video with your face covering most of the screen, carefully whispering "I'm an ally" in defense kind of gave me ASMR and idk what to think about that.
listen, this channel is all over the place so i might just do an ASMR video 👀
ure so pretty omg
omg thank you love that's so kind 🥹
i loved ur video! hope u make more like this 💖
I found Matty's dialogue to be gripping and horrifying. She was describing a complete descent into dangerous insanity, and an attempt at suicide in the worst possible way.
I thought that there was a weird chemistry between the two, these two weird teens who bond over a weird. TV show. I thought that he had a c rush on her. He accepted that the relationship would never become physical, but he wanted it too. Perhaps that was me projecting how I felt as a cis het youth. Who knows. But It also. It seemed that whenever she seemed to mad at him, she then said something that indicated the opposite, she was really open with him about things that she would not tell most people. And vice versa. It did seem like he loved her, and she returned to her hometown to find him because she needed him to feel complete. That was. What made his final unkind, though understandable, way of finally rejecting her so sad.
She came to believe that the two girls who stared in the show WERE Owen and. Mattie. And they both perceived it that way to a degree. They were two teen girls, one white, one brown. They were a teen girl and boy, the same colors. But Owen was inwardly feminine, a feeling that he completely repressed except when he was around Mattie. Heck, he even sometimes wore a pink dress, the same as what the girls in the show wore. Later, he realized that the show was not at all like they had remembered it. The.girls were not even teens. They were children, And the show was a show for children, not teens. They had both shared an essentially delusional projection of themselves into the show.
And the music scenes didn't bother me. There was one part with a. close up of a munition's face that was so androgynous that I could not tell if it was a man or a woman until the cameraman pulled out, and I saw her hair. That kind of lines up with the theme of the movie.
Nelligan spotted
What pissed me off is that all of the songs were "covers" of original songs from the 90s which totally ruined the nostalgia. If anything this is "fauxstalgia" where a kid raised in the 2000's looks back on how they would have imagined "growing up in the 90s" would be. The song you were singing was from a band called "The Broken Social Scene" which would have been WAY BETTER if they just used the originals and would have also been cool to show this generation some of those old songs that were more underground than mainstream. Also, I feel like if someone says they didn't like the movie people are so quick to say "you just didn't get it" when in reality this film was not complicated at all. In fact, it's the opposite. I just found the plot line of the movie wasn't that deep. It gave me r/im14andthisisdeep vibes which is why I'm not suprised most of the people liking the film are all around the same age.
i kinda understand where you are coming from! i have only got to know the songs through this movie as i was born in the early 2000's and enjoyed discovering the originals. and god i wasn't trying to have a "you don't get it" attitude lmfao 😭although i do disagree with some reviews and im sure you have seen many people miss the point of the film entirely. good that it was easy for you to see! it's fair if it's not that deep for you, for others it was
@@nisrinesinternetspace Well thank you for at least hearing my take and not automatically assuming things. I did enjoy the visuals which originally attracted me to the movie I just think if approached slightly different that it wouldn't have wasted potential like more dialogue between the characters like you mentioned and a few other things. Oh btw if you're into A24 you should check out NEON which is another production/distribution company that releases films with a kind of similar vibe. You might like the stuff their releasing.
@@in_the_pines yeah of course :) and i'll look into their movies, thank you for the recommendation!
I really don't think that most people who say "you just didn't get it" mean it as "you didn't understand the movie's message". I think they're talking about FEELING it and deeply resonating with it (but yes, some are replying like this to those who actually didn't understand the trans and queer themes of the story, but that is not what I'll be writing about ). /gen
Trans people who have experienced the same/similiar trans pain and struggles as in the movie, feel a deep connection with it, because being trans is such a unique experience, that cis people will never truly understand (as in relate to on a deeper level). It's really personal, not a "one fits all" type of movie (it doesn't "do it" even for some trans people) and the mixed reviews really show that (that is not a bad thing whatsoever, it's just an observation).
For many, the movie doesn't just end, they go back to their own Midnight Realm. I'm really happy to see, that this movie made so many people start their transition, go back to their transition, feel seen in their transition. People are trying to get out of the Midnight Realm and it's a wonderful thing to witness. You might call it "fake deep", but this movie is actually life saving for trans folks who have given up on themselves, because now they know that "there is still time". I have seen so many people of all ages (especially those over 30) who have finally found hope and motivation to transition, because of this movie, so I can guarantee that it's not only teens that love this one.
I personally adore this movie, no other media was able to make me feel so seen. No other media understood my pain and was able to portray it this welll. I wasn't able to sleep for a few days after watching it for the first time and I still can't stop thinking about it, because it was so impactful and personal to me. It might sound "dramatic" and all, but that's how I and many other folks feel. Trans people don't have many pieces of media that have good representation, are made by trans people and are for trans people. Our stories are rarely "ours" and are made to be "digestable" for cis audiences. This one is about us, by us and for us (obviously anyone can enjoy it and find it somehow relatable, but it is mainly a trans story after all).
It's definitely not a movie for everyone and that's good, cause not every movie has to appeal to all audiences. It is also very abstract and focuses more on visual stroytelling, so that also isn't something that many people like. So it's completely okay and valid to not like the movie and to not resonate with it. People who say otherwise, are just immature and don't understand the concept of different people liking different things. It actually is a "the ones that get it, get it, the ones that don't, don't" type of movie, but not in a "you're too stupid to understand its' meaning" way, it's just really personal.
I hope that I made you understend a different perspective than your own a bit more :) Not trying to make you like the movie, just trying to explain why so many people do like it. And I'm definitely not defending people who say "you just didn't get it" to sound cooler and feel more intelligent, I'm only talking about those who actually meant that it's not a story for everyone to resonate with and understand on a personal level.
I'm really sorry for my bad English and all of the spelling mistakes. English is not my first language and I don't have autocorrect on, but I tried my best to write a comment that is easy to understand. Hope everyone who is reading this has a lovely day/night!
Just wanted to say, Mister Melancholy is not really a representation of dysphoria! Dysphoria is closely aligned with the 'traditional trans narrative' that has been perpetuated by straight directors and actors that the director of this film, Jane Schoenbrun, voiced in an interview that she tried to stay away from. She said that the ultimate villain in this movie is the gaze on these characters and Mr. Melancholy represents this by looking down upon them from the sky and controlling who they can be. While dysphoria is something that can come from external factors, is is an internal feeling that not all trans people experience. I believe Jane is trying to instead speak to the controlling nature and violence that this external gaze of society is imposing onto queer bodies and identities.
Here is the full quote from the interview Jane did with Film Comment: "The villain in I Saw the TV Glow ultimately is the gaze on these characters. That’s why Mr. Melancholy stares down at them from the sky, keeping them obedient, letting them know that they are looked at, and that that look is going to control who they can be. I try to make work that is aware of this control and comes from an anti-fascist perspective that believes that kind of power can be attacked. "
Wah, I looked into the article you referred to and it's such a great well-rounded interview! I see that I was wrong in my interpretation, I am grateful you took the time to comment this, it makes a lot of sense. One of the main reasons I thought he represented dysphoria was because melancholy used to be a symptom doctors would associate with dysphoria, but it would be nonsensical to refer to something that was concluded to be wrong. It would also explain why Owen (or rather Isabela) always acted fearful, like something was watching and pressuring her.
As a trans woman, especially as one who transitioned later in life, after trying to ignore my identity for a long time, this movie really hit me hard. I was sobbing by the end. It was a wonderful movie, though!
I agree that the music performances disrupted the flow a bit.
Great review!
im happy you have resonated with it and even happier that you have embraced yourself and your identity!! glad you enjoyed the vid :)
I think the lack of chemistry is fitting, because Owen is not really who they are, actually both of them are hiding who they really are, so having a deep connection actually would ruin the vibe that they're supposed to have.
i think the music performances were to show owen's mental state and his reaction to what maddy was saying to him. she was monologuing and owen was overthinking and the music communicated that without making the dialogue unnatural for the sake of the viewers understanding.
that's just my interpretation
that's a fair interpretation! the performances could have used to avoid too much exposition on Owen's thoughts and feelings
There were some moments that were meant to be humorous though like, Tara’s Estée Lauder line or the soup party
agreed 100%, there were moments that were meant to be funny! i was more upset with the scenes that were laughed at in a vicious way
@@nisrinesinternetspace I found your review very thorough. It’s cool you mentioned the connection some neurodivergent fans shared with Owen. His anxiety and uncertainty reminded me of myself in the late 90s.
can you please do a video about ''the end of the fucking world'' its a show that is rarely talked about and i found it a great representation of mental health and dealing with trauma
omg i remember loving that show when it came out, will keep that in mind!
loved your analysis!! (just one punctualization, brigette lundy-paine uses they/them pronouns)
very happy you enjoyed it:) and omg thank you for letting me know, i really appreciate that!!
A a fellow cis het (presumably Canadian) i love ved this movie. I am the same age as Maddie and i really related to processing trauma by falling into fantasy and media. There are few shots that really hit home what owen is trying to repress. Especially the use of the song you sing a bit if, Anthem for a 17 year old girl.
I"VE BEEN SAYING ITS SO PISCES CODED!!!!
Also it is very refreshing to see a cis person understanding these points on their own by watching and researching! I have seen WAY too many cis people talk about how bad this movie is and how it should be more blatant in its themes. Thank you!
i feel bad cuz i laughed at the part where he said "I think i like tv shows.." when asked about his sexuality, and also at the drive-threw scene when the intercom was all distorted
omg i giggled at those parts too! i believe those moments were meant to be funny so you really shouldn't feel bad about it, i was talking about the people who made fun of the characters throughout the duration of the film (which unfortunately happened in the theater i went to)
I think the movie shows us a very surface-level perspective of Owen's character because their sense of self is very surface-level. Owen is disconnected from their life and their identity, the only thing they're sure of and willing to explore is their love of the Pink Opaque, so I honestly think it's quite fitting that all we learn about them is their connection to the show. I don't think we're supposed to know more. The bond between Owen and Maddy also felt purposefully awkward and disconnected as they're both not truly themselves. It would be impossible to form deeper connections with each other as their "personalities" don't go any deeper than what we're shown.
I'm not even an "ally" and I enjoyed this movie. I think politicization of trans has been disastrous for everybody, including trans people, including LGB, because the cynical elements of your ruling class have tried to use sexual minorities as a culture war bludgeon and turned LGBTQ into foot soldiers and hall monitors for a failed boomer era system that is in its twilight phase. Younger people without historical context don't understand this about it. They don't see that their ruling class patrons who woke wash neoliberal economic and foreign policy are actually the bad guys.
But that's why this movie works. It's not actually gender ideology propaganda. The film isn't political marketing or a commercial for a particular ideological tendency. It's just a great film which does what all great art does: It honestly express personal subjective experience. The movie certainly does have a perspective that is both ideological and political, but it's coming from a place of honesty, not ham fisted partisanship and contempt for the imagined audience that needs to be lectured or "educated."
Jane has said in interviews that she didn't "crowdsource" the movie by ticking all the necessary gender ideology boxes for the purpose of messaging. She just looked inside herself and articulated what she found there. The irony is that if you wanted to reach people and change their minds about trans or sexual minorities generally, this is the only way you could do it.
I'm not even particularly left wing and I'm certain critical of "woke," but even I was engaged by this and it made me reconsider my perspective. A film like this makes it much harder to disregard the experiences of people who disagree with you politically. It reminds you that their political inclinations are shaped by their real world personal experiences of the given society and culture, and those experiences matter.
I'd argue this is the best film that has come out this year.
"art disturbs the comforted and comforts the disturbed". i thought you could only exist on one side of this spectrum, until watching this film. i have never finished a horror film feeling shaken to my core in such a dual way.
19:00 this is exactly how i view life at this point in time. i am forever ebbing and flowing, changing and evolving. that is something so beautiful and comforting to me because the more I learn and experience, the more I change. I am personally very happy with where my life is going and I am finally starting to feel comfortable being myself. and if I ever feel lost or have moments of weakness, the inner drive to keep experiencing life and to keep living will continue ti illuminate my path
the harmonious sounding like homeless joke made me laugh out loud and i immediately followed u for that 💖
you can expect a lot more mispronunciation in future videos LMAO, thank you sm for following ❤
Loved this movie so much and loved this video too! Look forward to your next!
I haven’t seen the movie but I have seen videos walking about it and I don’t think that Owen/Isabelle is asexual aromantic I think he/she is bisexual, because the parachute is the colors of the trans flag and the bi flag *i’m pretty sure* (trans flag is white blue and pink, the bi flag is blue, pink, and purple) and the fact that Owen says that he doesn’t know if he likes girls he knows he likes TV, and then saying he knows there something different about him but doesn’t want to look at it…kind of tells you that he just has no idea who he is yet because he hasn’t even tried looking into it or attempting to figure it out, so really he could be any sexuality but he isn’t even willing to accept he’s really a woman so anything more than that is equally as daunting i’m sure
Nice to hear that u r cis hetero. I like cis hetero girls. I love also trance and gay persons. But cis heteros i like a lil bit more. Espcialy with sweet passionate curly hair.
Ps: Nice video. I wish u the best start. the niche market movie was a nice choice. I think the guys from the big movie channels didnt understand the movie thats why they have no review about it 😅 me either
12:59 I think it seemed like there was no chemistry between them Owen was still too afraid to be themself. You can’t exactly have chemistry if one person realized who they are and the other person doesn’t want to be that other person. The other person being Isabel. I think Isabella and Tara have the deep chemistry.
While Owen and Maddie are just friends.
13:22 I agree to what you’re saying here🎉
Can we talk about the imagery of Owen spitting into the blue cotton candy, watching it all sink in on itself?
thank you for your thoughtful review 😊
Maybe my new favourite video ever
Thanks for giving us your impressions, I'm glad to see more people talking about movies like this. Sadly, it either wasn't available in my area theaters or only for so short a time that I missed it, so I had to wait until it came to VOD. While the trans narrative (it's too explicit to be called a mere theme or allegory imho) didn't speak to me personally, I still found plenty of things to relate to, as a former weirdo kid and current weirdo adult. I grew up watching shows like "Pete & Pete" (the lead actors from which have a cameo in this movie) and "Eerie, Indiana" so I definitely would have tuned into "The Pink Opaque" in those days. The more I ruminate over my viewing of "I Saw The TV Glow," the more I liked it. If nothing else, it's a challenging film such as this is a welcome divergence from all the boilerplate action/sci-fi I tend to watch.
I do want to say one other thing, re: the people who laughed in the theater. Not to speak in their defense, but for my part, I also initially laughed at Owen's birthday party freakout. Not because I found it funny, but because I found it deeply uncomfortable. I've long since developed the habit of using humor as a defense mechanism, which is pretty common when you have trouble relating to other people and find yourself needing to defuse social tension. Obviously, there's a difference between a nervous chuckle and buffoonish guffawing, but I had to put that out there.
thanks to you for watching! i know, it really sucked to see that it wasn't more available... i saw people talking about how its preferable to not view this movie as exclusively a trans narrative (which i get) hence why it has been referred to as an allegory but it is pretty explicit! i share the same feeling as you, i've grown pretty fond of this movie. i can't bare to watch it again as it really hit me but im sure i'll watch it again and appreciate it more. also pls do not feel bad! i understand that some laughed out of discomfort, it was meant to call out those who's laughter was vicious! this film was really intense and had an eerie sense of dread, i completely get having to find a way to let that out.
U should soo make a video based on ur Letterboxd
can you believe that an avid movie watcher as myself still doesn't have Letterbox 😭 taking this comment as a sign to finally sign up
the chemistry wasn't really there, because they literally had their hearts removed.
Sometimes people laugh because they are nervous or scared. Laughter doesn't always mean people are mocking or being disrespectful.
I love this video so much! You did a great job analyzing and dissecting this amazing movie! I can’t wait to see more from you!!!
Thank you,I like the content of your channel ❤
Wonderful video! The discussion near the end, particularly on not wasting your time and on the evolving nature of purpose and identity and meaning, struck me on a very personal level as deeply intuitive and wise. Thank you, definitely hitting that subscribe button.
thank you friend! very glad it did, that means a lot:)
I'm not a cis hetero, but I feel this movie, while very clearly being about queerness in some level, is not exclusively a "trans" or "queer" movie, and I feel that discussion is simplifying the themes of the movie a little bit. I think it's about identity in general, about being honest with who you are, not hiding it. I read someone describing this movie as a "violent call-out to be yourself" and I think that describes the movie pretty well, and I feel pretty much anyone who's had identity issues or trouble expressing themselves, queerness aside, can relate to this movie. I didn't get THAT much queer vibes from the movie, but that's just how I perceived it. Still one of my favorite movies I've watched this year, absolutely amazing
i agree!! definitely not exclusively queer, hence why i made a video on it and highlighted that i am not part of the community. anyone could benefit from watching, because it is mainly about identity and identity is complex, broad and undefinable. but i feel like it's fair to point out for those who the queer elements went over their head (which i saw happen i few times!). and you and i both, this movie will stay close to my heart :)
I was completely lost after watching it so i watched some explanations of it on YT and found out the guy is trans. I didnt get that at all while watching and neither did my wife. It makes more sense now but the dreamlike quality of the movie makes it harder to see those things. Its not very grounded but this was on purpose obviously. Knowing more about it makes it a bit better but its not a very good movie imo.
i've talked with some who were utterly confused after watching, it's a fair reaction! for people who don't label themselves as queer, it would be hard to follow a story like this if you haven't been around people who are. and i have also seen multiple people who are queer not enjoy this movie or not resonate with it at all. hence why i love the conversations around this movie, everyone has their perspective to share!
@@nisrinesinternetspace it is pretty cool that art can be so obvious to one person and the next person be completely confused.