I Saw the TV Glow follows Owen (Justice Smith) as he meets Maddy (Bridgett Lundy-Paine) when he is in the seventh grade. Both characters are on the spectrum in some capacity as neither can make eye contact with others. They become obsessed with a TV show, The Pink Opaque. When the show is suddenly cancelled, Maddy disappears without a trace and Owen struggles through his teens and twenties working at a theater. When she returns and Owen revisits The Pink Opaque when it hits a streaming service, he begins to realize that his memories of that time of his life were not really what he remembered, and the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred.
This film, while a bit slow, is a provocative piece of filmmaking that has a lot to say about the pitfalls of nostalgia, more specifically for this film, 90’s nostalgia. Those of us who came of age during that era often have fond memories of shows and other pop culture fads that are not always as good as we remember.
Justice Smith and Bridgett Lundy-Paine are great and it is their performances that sell this film. Neither know how to fit in with their peers or carry on a normal conversation, but their friendship with each other seems to carry them through until Maddy decides to leave. Anyone who felt empty inside at some point in life, especially during the 90’s era of sci-fi shows many people immersed themselves in, will relate to both of these characters.
Three and a half our of five stars. Give this one a chance. You may not get it, but it’ll make you wonder what is real.
Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
I Saw the TV Glow follows Owen (Justice Smith) as he meets Maddy (Bridgett Lundy-Paine) when he is in the seventh grade. Both characters are on the spectrum in some capacity as neither can make eye contact with others. They become obsessed with a TV show, The Pink Opaque. When the show is suddenly cancelled, Maddy disappears without a trace and Owen struggles through his teens and twenties working at a theater. When she returns and Owen revisits The Pink Opaque when it hits a streaming service, he begins to realize that his memories of that time of his life were not really what he remembered, and the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred.
This film, while a bit slow, is a provocative piece of filmmaking that has a lot to say about the pitfalls of nostalgia, more specifically for this film, 90’s nostalgia. Those of us who came of age during that era often have fond memories of shows and other pop culture fads that are not always as good as we remember.
Justice Smith and Bridgett Lundy-Paine are great and it is their performances that sell this film. Neither know how to fit in with their peers or carry on a normal conversation, but their friendship with each other seems to carry them through until Maddy decides to leave. Anyone who felt empty inside at some point in life, especially during the 90’s era of sci-fi shows many people immersed themselves in, will relate to both of these characters.
Three and a half our of five stars. Give this one a chance. You may not get it, but it’ll make you wonder what is real.
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