One of the best movies of the year is ‘I Saw the TV Glow,’ written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun. The film stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, two teens who start questioning their reality after its stars bending with their favorite kids horror show.
Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, Ian Foreman, Fred Durst, and Danielle Deadwyler complete the cast. Produced by Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCary, the horror drama first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before having a wide release.
The movie, which is an allegory of being transgender, has been met with widespread acclaim from critics. So, if you didn’t catch it in theaters or just want to watch it again on streaming, here’s what to know about its release on Max in the US.
When and how to watch ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ on streaming
A24 confirmed that the film will be arriving on Max on September 20. The film will be released on streaming after grossing around $5 million worldwide on a budget of $10 million.
‘I Saw The TV Glow’ is set in the late 1990s, and it follows Owen, who is introduced to “The Pink Opaque,” a kids horror TV show, by Maddy. While they bond over the series, Maddy one day disappears. A few years later, Owen grows disillusioned with his life until his reality starts blending with his favorite show. The film has been influenced by several series such as ‘Buffy, The Vampire Slayer,’ as well as ‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–91).
The film marks the second entry in what Schoenbrun’s “Screen Trilogy,” which also includes their first film “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (2021) and a TV project they’re working on, as they explained to Variety.
‘I Saw The TV Glow’ has been described as an allegory for being transgender. In an interview with The New Yorker, the director explained: “TV Glow is about something I think a lot of trans people understand… The tension between the space that you exist within, which feels like home, and the simultaneous terror and liberation of understanding that that space might not be able to hold you in your true form.”
