Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
2018 · Directed by David Slade
Original language: English
- thriller
- science fiction
- mystery
The story
In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game. A mind-bending tale with multiple endings.
What it’s like
Cool, clinical interiors dominate: a bedroom and a corporate office lit by flat fluorescent tube light and the cathode glow of 1980s home computers, with the palette leaning on beige, grey and sickly green. David Slade's camera keeps a restless, watchful distance, cutting between tight close-ups and static frames of rooms that feel slightly too still, so every choice the viewer makes lands with a click of uneasiness. The score is a synth-driven pulse of 1980s electronica that thickens into dread, broken by long stretches of near silence, typing and the hum of machinery. Vibe: paranoid, retro-tech noir, anxious and playful at once. It suits a late-night watch alone or an interactive binge with friends who enjoy shouting at the screen. Pacing is brisk and tense, the tone cool and unsettling rather than warm, and its protagonist's arc is a young man increasingly unsure which of his decisions are his own. Intensity is moderate: some sudden shocks, a few violent moments and grim, disturbing imagery, but no sustained gore and little sexual content. For viewers who like puzzle-box thrillers, branching narratives and tech-paranoia with a retro sheen.
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