Martin Scorsese has identified Jane Schoenbrun’s 2024 psychological horror film, I Saw the TV Glow, as one of his favorite recent movies. The director, promoting his latest film The Saints, shared his praise with the Associated Press this week, describing the film as “emotionally and psychologically powerful and very moving,” and noting that “it builds on you, in a way.”
I Saw the TV Glow stars Justice Smith and Jack Haven as two high school students whose connection to a television show leads them to question their realities and identities. The film, released in May 2024, has garnered critical attention and received five nominations at the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature. Actress Emma Stone and her husband, Dave McCary, served as producers through their company, Fruit Tree.
Scorsese’s comments came as a surprise to Schoenbrun, who revealed they were unaware of Scorsese’s familiarity with their work beyond I Saw the TV Glow. “I didn’t know who made it. It’s this Jane Schoenbrun,” Scorsese told the AP. Schoenbrun responded to the praise on X, expressing awe at being connected to a “lineage, a tradition and a shared spiritual practice” with the acclaimed director. Schoenbrun had previously spoken about the emotional impact of their script, noting that actor Justice Smith responded to it with a visceral, intuitive understanding.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and received a limited theatrical release by A24 in the United States on May 3, expanding to Canada and a nationwide release on May 17. As of its release, I Saw the TV Glow has grossed $5.4 million. This proves the second installment in Schoenbrun’s “Screen Trilogy,” following the 2021 film We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, and is slated to be followed by an upcoming novel titled Public Access Afterworld.
