When he sees an older student Maddy (Jack Haven) reading an episode guide to "The Pink Opaque" he strikes up a conversation and she sneakily facilitates his interest by variously providing him with VHS tapes and occasionally letting him visit and watch it when he has lied about visiting a friend his own age.
Over the years the pair share their love of the show but don't otherwise socialise much. One day Maddy announces she is leaving and asks Owen to join her but in a moment of understandable youthful cowardice he doesn't.
No good will come of this.
CW: flickering lights
I've been looking forward to Jane Schoenbrun's follow-up to "We're all going to the World's Fair" ever since it was announced and I was not disappointed.
Not unexpectedly it's a big pile of trans allegory but works just as well as an exhortation not to give up on the magic in life as "there is still time". It's also absolutely heart-breaking.
I wasn't totally convinced by Justice Smith trying to play such a broad age range and there are couple of scenes that feel like a gratuitous "hey let's showcase these cool bands I know/like" but this is another 9/10 for an interesting filmmaker that speaks to me. If they don't you may struggle with it.