I don't know... I don't think it's very opaque at all. This is a story about someone finding the key to their adult identity and fiercely, powerfully denying it. At the end, Justice Smith could be someone still stuck in the closet, or an unhappy clock-puncher, or stuck in a loveless marriage, or someone who purposely threw their dreams away. And that very end -- he's sloppily apologizing for who he's been, because he feels he must forever apologize for his phony identity he wears to satisfy others. I think it's pretty straightforward and universal, and that's even before considering the trans metaphor that feels like it may have been the source of the story.
Unfortunately, as you will see in the scoring above, Reids on Film were largely taken in by the fluorescent but ultimately vapid glow of yet another standard issue, insipid regurgitation from the A24 culture machine.
Like the protagonists of I Saw the TV Glow, my fellow Reids were drawn to the superficial mystique and glamour of what promised to be a surreal adventure. Sadly no amount of my ranting on our WhatsApp chat could dispel their illusions.
The bleak reality? Well, as Owen finally concludes at the end of the film… “The whole thing felt cheesy and cheap. I just felt embarrassed.” I can only hope the rest of Reids on Film will one day come to their senses and realise the same.
I don't know... I don't think it's very opaque at all. This is a story about someone finding the key to their adult identity and fiercely, powerfully denying it. At the end, Justice Smith could be someone still stuck in the closet, or an unhappy clock-puncher, or stuck in a loveless marriage, or someone who purposely threw their dreams away. And that very end -- he's sloppily apologizing for who he's been, because he feels he must forever apologize for his phony identity he wears to satisfy others. I think it's pretty straightforward and universal, and that's even before considering the trans metaphor that feels like it may have been the source of the story.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
Unfortunately, as you will see in the scoring above, Reids on Film were largely taken in by the fluorescent but ultimately vapid glow of yet another standard issue, insipid regurgitation from the A24 culture machine.
Like the protagonists of I Saw the TV Glow, my fellow Reids were drawn to the superficial mystique and glamour of what promised to be a surreal adventure. Sadly no amount of my ranting on our WhatsApp chat could dispel their illusions.
The bleak reality? Well, as Owen finally concludes at the end of the film… “The whole thing felt cheesy and cheap. I just felt embarrassed.” I can only hope the rest of Reids on Film will one day come to their senses and realise the same.
Coming soon… the ReidsonFilm Rebellion Substack.