‘I Saw The TV Glow’ ending explained: what happens to Owen?
nme.comI Saw The TV Glow.Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, the surrealist film follows the insecure and anxious Owen (Smith) as he navigates adolescence.
When he befriends Maddy (Lundy-Paine), they bond over a TV show called The Pink Opaque, which provides an escape from their daily lives.Schoenbrun wrote the script at the early stages of their transition – with much of the film serving as an allegory for the trans experience and self-discovery generally.I Saw The TV Glow also features an original soundtrack with songs by Caroline Polachek, Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers and Yeule.After her disappearance, Maddy returns eight years later and reunites with Owen.
In the years since, Maddy tells Owen she buried herself alive, escaped and rediscovered her identity as Tara – a character from The Pink Opaque TV show.Maddy says the other lead character in The Pink Opaque, Isabel, is still buried – and the only way she can be reawakened is if Owen, who she believes is Isabel’s false identity, buries himself in the soil.
Owen, who thinks Maddy’s story is “insane” and “couldn’t be true”, rejects this proposal and he never sees her again.Years later, we see an older, and still repressed, Owen working at an arcade bar.
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