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 that he’s into TV shows. That he’s obsessed with a show that his stepfather describes as ‘Isn’t that for girls?’ would be our first inkling of Owen’s sexuality. What follows borders on the surreal and bizarre, Schoenburn would seem to be making the point of how misfits and particularly lonely teenagers retreat into an alternative world and that this world can be inspired by things such as TV shows. When Maddy runs away from home, she reappears after years and says to Owen that she entered into the world of the Pink Opaque. Disturbing and rich with imagery, the film knows how to keep you entertained and bothered. 

Ezra (on demand Amazon Prime) - First screened in Toronto last year, this film was released theatrically in May 2024. Directed by Tony Goldwyn (Carl Bruner in Ghost), the film stars Bobby Cannavale, Robert de Niro, Rose Byrne, Whoopi Goldberg (who was also in Ghost), Goldwyn, and William Fitzgerald in the title role. Bobby Cannavale plays Max, who used to be a comedy writer and is now trying to get a break as a stand-up. His son Ezra lives with his mother and is autistic. Co-parenting becomes an issue as while Ezra is bullied and has his episodes; Max is very adamant about how important it is that normal kids surround Ezra and that treating him as special or different would only worsen the situation. The Mom is more flexible, seeing that a special school may not necessarily be the worst thing for Ezra.

Misunderstandings happen, and an incident that pushes Max over the edge in terms of how his son will be treated and medicated results in an arrest and subsequent restraining order. Desperate, Max ‘kidnaps’ Ezra, and everyone from his ex-wife to his father (Robert DeNiro) is aghast with this crazy course of action. Fifteen years ago, we’d consider this cast one great ensemble for the film. They still know how to nail their roles, but there is something off when you’re asking us to rally behind someone - Max - who’s breaking the law and endangering his son, even if it’s motivated by Love. At times, Cannavale takes us over the top in still asking us to be sympathetic to his character - but I did appreciate the realness of the issues raised and presented as part of coping with a special child.