Explores the lives of two troubled teenagers, Owen and Maddy, whose reality begins to unravel with the cancellation of their favorite TV show, "The Pink Opaque". The film is set across different timelines, starting in 1996 when Owen, an isolated seventh grader, meets Maddy, a ninth-grade lesbian, over their shared interest in "The Pink Opaque". As they bond over the show, they face personal challenges; Owen's mother is terminally ill, and Maddy is ostracized at school due to a circulating rumor.
His narrative works on multiple levels, offering a poignant portrayal of growing up feeling like an outsider and the discomfort that comes with not feeling at ease in one's own skin. The film is steeped in '90s nostalgia, from its aesthetic to its cultural references, evoking a sense of longing for a past era. Yet, setting is used to et the tone. The film is a meditation on the existential feeling that the world we inhabit is not the one we were meant for. The haunting emotional core of the film lies in the choices we make and the realization that those choices may lead us to bury ourselves in a world where we don't belong. Yes, the film was written as an allegory of the Trans experience. And it works well on this level - given the sense of being trapped in people's expecations- perhaps even burryied alive by them. But the film has broader appeal drawing on intellectual traditions as far back as Plato and evoking more contemporary masters such as Philip K Dick's "Valis" trilogy.
I am writing this review a week after seeing it - and the a film has lingered with me, haunting in its emotional depth and the questions it raises about the paths we take in life.