Owen ends the film with a better idea of who he is, but all alone.
Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun breaks down the ending of their psychological thriller.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers aboutI Saw the TV Glow, now in theaters.
Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine in ‘I Saw the TV Glow’.A24
When he revisits his old VHS tapes ofThe Pink Opaque, the show is nothing like he remembers.
It feels stale and corny, and Owen admits to feeling embarrassed by his previous fandom.
He seems relieved, though, knowing it was in him all along.
Justice Smith, Jane Schoenbrun, and Brigette Lundy-Paine.VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
I think, most importantly, this is the place where they’re slowly approaching adolescence and adulthood."
These three maternal signals that are nurturing him are stripped away.
And now the glow that’s coming from the screen feels sinister and limiting.
And he feels perhaps trapped.
It’s almost become this prison, a coping mechanism that’s no longer doing the job."
It can only come from inside oneself.
So, it was there from the beginning.
And when I wrote this film, I had only just seen it not that long before."
“This isn’t something that happens the moment you see that glow inside you,” they add.
“In fact, I think it takes years, if not a lifetime, to undo that damage.
Owen ends the film closer to becoming his authentic self, but its just the beginning.
I Saw the TV Glowis in theaters now.
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