We Saw The TV Glow: Get Queeird
Danica T
The newest queer movie I Saw The TV Glow hit theaters on May 17th of this year, and is now available for streaming on Max. Though some look at A24’s logo in the intro and are quick to give it a five out of five stars on Letterboxd, I implore you to take in and savor every scene before you do so. This is a film that can be rewatched to the point it becomes a queer cult classic. Without giving away too many spoilers, if you haven’t heard, the movie is a buffet of queer and trans allegories. It centers on two social outcasts finding comfort in the supernatural through a fictional show called The Pink Opaque.
This movie, directed by Jane Schoenbrun (they/she), is an example of how queer representation is made so much better by the direct involvement of queer people. Horror movies typically use queer people as gags or perpetuate stereotypes that associate queer and trans people with mentally ill murderers. Two classic examples of this include Sleepaway Camp (1983), and Silence of the Lambs (1991). Both of the films have trans antagonists who use transness as an expression of their psychotic or deranged tendencies. In Silence of the Lambs, the character Buffalo Bill is denied their trans identity by a reassignment clinic doctor and Hannibal Lecter himself. Outside of the movie, the actor for Bill insists that despite initially searching for inspiration with crossdressers and Trans people, he soon discarded that path to portray Bill as a homophobic, transphobic, heterosexual madman. Despite this, the concept of Bill’s woman-meat-suit, intended for them to complete their ‘transformation’, along with their effeminate way of dressing, has marked Buffalo Bill as someone under the trans/genderqueer umbrella.
As for Sleepaway Camp, Angela’s trans identity is explained as the result of abuse and an unstable family (read: a wild Aunt and a gay father). The ‘reveal’ of their genitals after their crimes are exposed is played up for shock value at the very end, though by the next movie in the franchise, Angela has bottom surgery and nothing more is discussed of it. Queer horror movies with good representation are a mostly-unexplored frontier in cinema and movies like I Saw the TV Glow provide evidence of why that shouldn’t be so. From the well-composed shots, neon (bisexual) lighting, unsettling scenes, and heartfelt speeches, there is plenty to analyze for those enthusiastic enough to observe.
One of the principal themes in the film that plays alongside queerness is the idea of chosen families. The two main characters choose each other to bond with because of this deeper connection that lies beneath the facades/walls society makes them put up. The beauty of queerness is addressed in a way that is abstract but ever-present. They recognize the beauty in each other when everyone else turns them away.
After watching the movie, my main concern was why more films like this weren’t in the public eye. Due to the slow-moving shift in acceptance, queer representation is happening more than ever. Even then, queer media is not allowed to get weird. The acceptance only goes so far.
Now, who decides why and when to limit the queer story? Answer: it’s a cycle of people with the same traditionalist mindsets. Production companies often decide that queer queerness is a subject too complex and distasteful for anyone to like because back then, queerness was erased and censored. There’s been little time for the cis-het majority to ‘get used to’ queer representation and companies aren’t willing to spend the time/money it takes to make good films.
They forget about the sizeable queer audience that gathers, popcorn buckets overflowing, to watch reruns of the movie that changed their childhood. They forget about the groups that take joy in the abstract, especially when it's Halloween and they’re looking for something scary, sad, unsettling, disconcerting, and ‘terribly’ queer to watch underneath their blankets. The people who need representation often need it because their experiences are forgotten, and so too are their nuances as people.
I Saw the TV Glow, up until now, has received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 72% on the Popcornmeter and on IMDb it currently holds 5.9 stars. Many of the reviews are from cis people, even those in the gay community. Cis people watching the movie tended to leave theaters confused, not understanding the metaphor and feeling dissatisfied by the ending. The aspect of transness and/or queerness made some viewers uncomfortable, leaving them struggling to relate. The film does not ease the audience into the notion of strangeness, and those less accepting of differences might have sympathized more with those judging or abusing the two main characters than the characters themselves. Others thought the symbols and allegories were a bit heavy handed, which only leads to more questions about why queer media is more acceptable when it is subtle or ‘tasteful.’
It should also be mentioned that people thought Maddy and Owen were a bit one-note throughout the film. They looked at their isolation from others, special interest in The Pink Opaque, aversion to direct interactions, and monotonous, if not awkward speech as signs of bad acting rather than considering the possibility of their attitudes being rooted in autism. Autistic viewers of the movie have talked about enjoying relating to Owen, some even feeling that their autistic identity was more aptly reflected in this character than their queer/trans identity.
In spite of that, it should be watched, especially by the queer and trans community. Hopefully, it also represents the possibility of more weird queer movies. The community has suffered through homophobic plots (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry), witnessed myriad coming out stories (Love, Simon), and cried through or criticized problematic tragedies (Call Me By Your Name). The options have grown stale. There is a demand for a spark of creativity among movie aficionados in these modern times. Things have changed since back then. And yet hope is still held out for a new batch of cult classics— a change in supply.
For those who watch the movie and find it isn’t to their liking, they can at least check out the artists featured on the movie’s soundtrack. “Claw Machine” by Sloppy Jane, “Starburned and Unkissed” by Caroline Polachek, and “Another Season” by Frances Quinlan are my personal picks of the bunch, with most of them being written by queer people or women. I hummed along to the songs as they came up on my second time watching the movie. If not films, I can at least trust good music to bring joy to my ears.
Overall, I think abstract queer art is exactly what is needed, not just for the queer community to feel more understood in the cishet-dominated film industry, but for the masses to comprehend that queer/trans people are not going away, and neither is their affinity for the strange. Queer queerness is not something new, but in the advent of creativity, it is something to be embraced. I Saw the TV Glow is a rallying cry to everyone to either get out or Get Queeird.
