‘I Saw The TV Glow’- Is It Cruel To Be Kind? 

Jane Schoenbrun’s film “I Saw The TV Glow” continues to captivate audiences with its thought-provoking narrative and haunting imagery. This slow-burning psychological horror delves into themes of repression, identity, and the powerful allegory for transness. Delving deep into the impact of the film’s ending and its stark portrayal of denial and longing, this article by Theo Hendrie analyzes the lasting impression left by “I Saw The TV Glow” and the conversations it sparks about the complexities of identity and the cruel realities of denying one’s true self.

‘I Saw The TV Glow’- Is It Cruel To Be Kind? 

Almost two months on from its US theatrical release and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow continues to capture audiences, our imaginations and our conversations (for those still waiting the film is due to come to UK cinemas on July 26th). The film is a slow-burning psychological horror following Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) – two teenagers who bond over their shared love of the dark fantasy TV show ‘The Pink Opaque.’ As the story unfolds it becomes clear that it might be a little more than just a TV show. 

Spoilers below for I Saw the TV Glow!

In fact, it transpires that Owen and Maddy are in fact Isabel and Tara, the stars of ‘The Pink Opaque,’ captured by Mr Melancholy  and cast into the Midnight Realm with false lives and memories while their true selves are buried alive, running out of air. Maddy is able to return to her life as Tara. But Owen is too afraid, ignoring the signs, settling into a half-life where he works a dead-end job and starts a family – a family we never see but who he assures us, dead-eyed, and monotone-voiced, he loves more than anything. A message in chalk drawn on the street assures him there’s still time… but the arcade machines at his job flash “You’re dying. You’re dying. You’re dying.” 

The imagery throughout the film is beautiful, blunt and stark. Schoenbrun makes no effort to hide what this is really about: a powerful allegory for transness. A girl is forced to live as a boy and is miserable for it. Owen represses ‘his’ true identity as Isabel. The effort of that repression is suffocating. The only escape is in the media you love. Dysphoria, longing and loss are caught in the static on the screen. And most notably: it’s never too late to transition until it is.

Like many trans kids, I grew up with a symbiotic relationship to my favourite media. I spent more time in imaginary worlds than I did in the real one. I could be a witch, a werewolf, a waif… but I was always a boy in these adventures. Having to return to a reality where everyone insisted I was a girl was disconcerting to say the least. So to watch Owen, sickly and anxious, come alive in the TV glow… I understood, whole-heartedly. 

Of course, it cannot be ignored that the horror genre has not always been kind to trans people.

Transmisogynistic portrayals in particular abound.  But this is part of a new wave of trans horror by trans creatives, processing their own identities and journeys. Stories like Manhunt (Gretchen Felker-Martin) and Tell Me I’m Worthless (Alison Rumfitt) in literature or Bit (2019) and T Blockers (2023) in film. Jane Schoenbrun has also previously directed We’re All Going To The World’s Fair(2022). Which isn’t specifically a trans tale but deals with many of the same feelings of loneliness and dysphoria amidst the glow of a screen. 

However, I Saw The TV Glow isn’t only notable because of how explicitly trans it is.

Owen’s struggle is relatable to a vast array of people because on some level most of us have experienced the feeling that there must be more to life than this and many of us cope with that through the media we consume. The film is also what a classic coming of age fantasy would look like with a passive protagonist who refuses the Hero’s call to action. Alice does not go down the rabbit hole. The kids never go through the wardrobe to Narnia. Nancy turns her back on Peter Pan. 

In the end, Owen’s anxiety builds. His inhaler is no longer working. He is at work but finds himself screaming “I am dying!” His breaths come out in wheezing gasps. Only now, is he finally curious enough to open up – an act which, like many in the film, is made literal. Owen cuts his chest open to find what lies inside and sees the TV static flickering. He laughs, finally knowing the truth of who he is. But a lifetime of repression and shame cannot be unlearned in an instant. So Owen returns to his default setting – deferential, apologetic. He goes from colleague to colleague apologising for his earlier outburst and the film ends here with no sense of catharsis for either character or audience. We fade to black with those desperate apologies still echoing in our ears.

I am a seasoned horror fan.

It takes a lot to scare me these days. But I sat in my darkened room, taking deep breaths as the minutes ticked by, struggling to process that that was it. That was all there was. In the end, I watched the film again immediately, just to return to a point in its runtime when I still had hope for its characters. As my mum put it when I described the plot to her . “You were so anxious and scared before you came out… the idea that you would spend forever feeling like that and never know why, is terrifying.” 

Some have called this ending cruel and bleak, emphasising that, after all that suffering, Isabel never gets to live as herself. It’s a brutal reminder that denial and turning a blind eye to your desires can only lead to regret. And due to that lack of catharsis, film goers are instead left with an empty, depressed feeling that they must sit with. 

Even if you agree , the film and its ending have been a spur to action (and an impactful one). You only have to look at the unofficial Reddit page to see how many posts are from viewers committing to coming out or starting HRT. The film’s top review on Letterboxd opens with the lines “My name is Julie. I am a trans woman. And tonight is the first time I’ve said those words to anyone other than myself.” Tasting a small dose of that regret for wasted time by connecting with Owen has seemingly been enough to push many into making a positive change in their own lives. Which begs the question. Can a film really be considered cruel or callous, if its tragedy inspires so much change and hope? 

It could also be argued that the film can be considered hopeful for its characters too.

As an article for Vulture put it, the film is full of hope “if you want it to be.” While an initial viewing may lead you towards a pessimistic outcome for Owen and Isabel, subsequent viewings reveal clues peppered throughout. 

In the second act, an adult Owen finds the torn up pages of The Pink Opaque episode guide, strewn amidst the sparking wreckage of a downed power line. If you pause at the right moment, you can read a description of episode 6×01 which describes Isabel and Tara escaping the graves they’ve been buried in. Towards our final scene, Owen hears a voice emerge from the static in his chest which says “Ladies and gentlemen, our show will be restarting in just a few moments.” 

Some viewers have said after that final cut to black, they could hear the sound of rain – and when Tara returns to the Midnight Realm in search of Isabel/Owen, she says she woke up and it was raining. Put together, all of this seems to suggest Isabel eventually finds a way back to herself even if it seemed like time was about to run out. 

At the very least, Owen has seen the truth now.

They have looked inside themselves and know who they are. They have seen that they are not empty, they are filled with all the beauty of the TV world they loved as a child. 

Perhaps the biggest sign of hope is that Schoenbrun has stated they’d be open to doing a sequel – one that would require Smith and Lundy-Paine to reprise their roles which can only be promising for Isabel. In an interview with USA Today they said “I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while. I always ask myself, ‘Where do the characters go? Is there anywhere else after this?’

Sometimes there’s not an answer that deserves further exploration, but I do think there is something about this particular movie that needs a yang to its yin. I don’t think it’s something people will be expecting, but it will be something that’s very much in the same world, from the other side of a looking glass.” They went on to say “I have quietly talked to Justice and Brigette about it, so there is definitely another side of the prism I’d like to glance through.”

In the end, the message remains: It’s never too late. 

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