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Netflix has been experimenting with the ‘choose-your-own adventure’ format for a while now. The release of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch has led some to suggest this is #TheNextBigThing which will transform the way we consume movies.
On the surface, being able to interact with the storyline is very appealing for ‘generation click,’ but despite its novelty, I don’t believe this format will become mainstream. The simple reason is that it doesn’t have the ability to satisfy viewers in the same way as the traditional storyline, which is humanity’s most enduring art form for a reason.
Bandersnatch works, but only because at its heart, it’s a traditional narrative. It’s also very clever and self-aware. The viewer gets to influence events by making decisions about what breakfast cereal the protagonist eats through to whether he murders and chops up his father. Each decision may lead down a different pathway, but a surprising number end with patricide. The ‘happiest’ ending leads to his death.
The obvious message is that choice is an illusion. This can be interpreted in an existential way, or even as a comment on the current political situation, but I believe the main theme of the film is that those who don’t deal with their emotional demons are destined to be destroyed by them.
