A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush ...
"Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" Review - An Interactive Experience
A young programmer from the 1980's was developing a dungeon-crawler, choice based adventure type game called Bandersnatch based on a book of the same name, written by a tragic writer Jerome F. Davies. As he goes forward he unravels an otherworldly truth about his path or rather the different versions of it.
What if there were different versions of yourself existing on a different plane from a different universe? This was a concept that was carefully explored in Netflix's Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, written and directed by the show creator Charlie Brooker.
The story follows a young programmer, Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) who went to Tuckersoft, a gaming company, to pitch his game called the Bandersnatch. The idea is that the players will choose which paths to take and all of their choices will significantly unlock new paths and different endings. The concept was tightly based on a book of the same name, about a story that also follows a choose-your-own-adventure style in which readers can come up with different endings based on their choices, written by Jerome F. Davies whom he hailed as a genius but later befell on a mental demise and killed his own wife.
Playing God
From a film making standpoint, Bandersnatch is the first of its kind in giving the audiences the ability to choose which decisions Stefan would make, from choosing which cereal to eat to the heavy ones that greatly impact the flow of the story. The idea of an interactive film was first shunned by the creator himself, Charlie Brooker thinking that it is just a gimmick but later approve of the deal after the whole story has been finalized.
There were moments in this film where the character was totally aware of my existence as a viewer. I have never felt so in control of someone's destiny let alone my own life. My choices had greatly affected the characters triumph and/or demise and it is both titillatingly satisfying and unnerving at times.
The Good
As a gamer, the interactive movie style approach isn't something new to me but that also made this film engaging, giving me a variety of narrative implications everytime I choose a path. The story might be simple but it also has the right mix of suspense and thrill, leaving me wanting for more. The cinematography is brilliant and the use of grain effect adds a periodic 80's feel to it. The background score is also well placed elevating the already tensed scenarios. The acting performances from Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter and Craig Parkinson were also effective and believable.
The Bad
Personally I wanted this film to even go weirder and more aggressive on the concept of parallel universe. I also thought some side characters could have done more to add something to the story but that's just a nitpick. It kind of bugs me as well that this film doesn't work on Chromecast as I almost always use that to watch Netflix shows.
Should You Watch It?
If you are into sci-fi, psychedelic and intellectually stimulating films, this is definitely right up your alley. Itis blowing my socks off and had me questioning myself about existence and parallel universes.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is the benchmark for future interactive films. I suggest you watch it if you have Netflix. You are in control of your own path, or are you?
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