Introduced to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath his suburban life — Owen’s reality begins to crack. A film by Jane Schoenbrun, starring Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, Ian Foreman, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, and King Woman.

In 1996, in a suburban house where young Owen (Ian Foreman) lives with his mother Brenda (Danielle Deadwyler) and his father Frank (Fred Durst), Owen is captivated by a commercial of a TV show on the Young Adult Network called “The Pink Opaque.” Owen, however, never watches the show because it airs after his bedtime.

One day, at school, Owen meets Maddy Wilson (Brigette Lundy-Paine), a ninth grader who is reading an episode guide of The Pink Opaque. It piques his interest and he asks her about the book she’s reading. She tells him it’s an official episode guide of the show. When she asks if he watches the show, Owen tells her he never does; it comes on at 10:30 pm every Saturday night, and his father wouldn’t allow him to stay up past his bedtime.

Maddy explains that technically The Pink Opaque is a kid’s show, but it’s way too scary and the mythology in the show is way too complicated for most kids. Maddy then hands him the episode guide, telling him he can read it as it includes quotes and pictures from the show. Maddy also tells Owen that she and her friend Amanda (Emma Portner) watch it together every week. Maddy sympathizes with Owen and devises a plan for him to watch the show by making up a story for his parents. The story is that Owen wants to have a sleepover at Johnny Link’s house, a friend whom Owen doesn’t talk to anymore.

The plan works, and his mother drops him off at Johnny Link’s house on Saturday evening. Owen stands in front of the house, waiting for his mother to drive away. He then quickly walks to Maddy’s house to watch The Pink Opaque with her and Amanda.

Owen becomes fascinated and obsessed with The Pink Opaque, the TV show about two teenagers, Isabel (Helena Howard) and Tara (Lindsey Jordan), who have a distinctive, glowing tattoo of a ghost on their necks. In each episode, they fight evil monsters sent by Mr. Melancholy, to take over the world, using their psychic connection. Later that night, after Amanda leaves, Maddy confides in Owen that sometimes she feels The Pink Opaque more real than her real life.

Two years later, Owen is now a ninth grader. His mother is terminally ill, and he still can’t watch the show due to its airtime falling after his father-enforced bedtime. Maddy has made multiple recordings of the show and leaves them in the school’s darkroom for Owen to pick up and secretly watch the episodes at home. The Pink Opaque has become Owen’s favorite TV show. Having obsessively watched the tapes of the old episodes over and over again, he knows the show’s dialogue by heart.

Later, Owen finds Maddy eating alone on the bleachers. Owen awkwardly asks if she and Amanda still watch The Pink Opaque together every week. Maddy reveals that she’s stopped talking to Amanda for over a year after Amanda told everyone in the school that she tried to touch Amanda’s breast, asserting that Amanda must be a secret agent sent here to make her life miserable. Owen then asks if Maddy wants him to come over to watch the show together again, so he can watch it live while it airs. Not wanting to give Owen a wrong impression, Maddy tells him that she likes girls.

While watching an episode of The Pink Opaque, Owen notices Maddy starts to cry. That night, Maddy tells Owen she has to leave town soon, or she won’t survive. She then uses a marker to draw a copy of a glowing ghost symbol from the show, on the back of Owen’s neck. She also persuades Owen to join her, but he becomes too nervous and afraid. Owen asks Johnny’s mother to tell his father that he’s been lying, pretending to sleep there while his mom is in the hospital. This results in Owen being grounded by his father, which prevents him from leaving town with Maddy.

Owen passes away. A few weeks after, Maddy mysteriously disappears. The only clue the police find is a burning TV set in the backyard. The strangest part of it all is that The Pink Opaque is also canceled that same month.

Eight years later, Owen still lives with his father and works at a local movie theater. On his way home, he finds the road blocked by a downed power line. Pieces of paper are scattered around the area. Owen gets out of his car and grabs a piece of paper. Confused and surprised, he realizes the piece of paper seems to be from The Pink Opaque’s episode guide book.

Maddy reappears at the local supermarket. She takes Owen to a bar on the edge of town where she reveals to him that she’s discovered this place isn’t real and has found a way to return to the real world, where she’s been living all this time – inside The Pink Opaque. Maddy tells Owen that all his memories and experiences were created by Mr. Melancholy to blind him from the truth of his real identity. The only way back to reality, she claims, is to be buried alive.

Written and directed by American filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, I SAW THE TV GLOW is a haunting exploration of identity and self-discovery fueled by the exceptional performances of Brigitte Lundy-Paine and Justice Smith.

Brigitte Lundy-Paine portrays Maddy, Owen’s childhood friend who shares his fascination with “The Pink Opaque,” a mysterious late-night show filled with surreal imagery and cryptic messages that seem to mirror their own struggles with identity. She embodies the rebellious spirit of youth. Maddy’s fascination with “The Pink Opaque” feels more defiant, a way to push boundaries and forge her own path. Lundy-Paine exudes a captivating charisma, making Maddy both magnetic and slightly dangerous.

Justice Smith delivers a captivating performance as Owen, a man haunted by his past. His quiet intensity and narration, which occasionally breaks the fourth wall, draw us into Owen’s world, where the line between reality and the unsettling world of the show begins to blur.

As the narrative unfolds, the film uses dreamlike sequences and a pervasive sense of unease to create a truly unsettling psychological horror experience. This is a must-watch for fans of slow-burn mysteries, unconventional coming-of-age stories, and anyone who appreciates a well-crafted psychological horror film.

I like how the final scene abruptly cuts off, leaving the end open for interpretation when Owen finally realizes the truth. It makes us wonder even though Maddy no longer comes to rescue him this time, if he actually decides to endure his mundane routine life or plans to break free.

I SAW THE TV GLOW premiered at Sundance Film Festival on 18 January 2024. It was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on 3 May, before expanding nationwide on 17 May, by A24