Ezra (on demand Amazon Prime) - First screened in Toronto last year, this film was released theatrically in May 2024. I Saw the TV Glow (on demand Amazon Prime) - Here’s a film that some would find hard to categorize or describe. Today's two films are 2024 releases that went through the Festival circuit to gain the hoped-for traction and word of mouth.
We’ve not seen either in cinemas here, so you’ll have to hunt them down via streaming. I Saw the TV Glow (on demand Amazon Prime) - Here’s a film that some would find hard to categorize or describe. Yes, it’s an LGBTQIA coming-of-age film, but it also has elements of horror, SciFi, and TV nostalgia.
What we can all agree upon is how original this all is. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, and starring Justice Smith as Owen and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Maddy, the film lists Emma Stone as one of the producers, and it premiered in January at Sundance. It’s set in 1996 and centers on seventh grader Owen (first portrayed by Ian Foreman), coming across ninth grader Maddy reading an episode guidebook for the TV show, The Pink Opaque.
The show within the movie is about the psychic connection between Isabel and Tara, fighting a new monster in each episode, as sent by the main villain, Mr. Melancholy. Maddy comes from a home where she suffers domestic abuse from her father, while Owen knows there’s something different about him.
When Maddy makes it clear that she’s into girls and asks Owen how about him - all he can reply is tha.