After the collapse of the USSR, numerous Brazilian video products poured onto our screens, with the light hand of which we began to call the series nothing more than “soap”. This type of cinema began to be perceived as something a priori second-rate, not having a semantic load and intended for housewives. However, the creators of the series "Black Mirror" raised this genre to a fundamentally new level.
Dystopia or reflection of reality?
The term "black mirror" began to be called electronic devices: smartphones, tablets, computers because of the specific type of displays. But there is another side to this phrase. Black mirrors were used by witches in their rites. These surfaces should not only reflect what is happening, but incorporate thoughts, emotions, even the soul of a person! Can’t this be said about modern gadgets? Take a look: millions of people live not so much in reality as on the Internet, and the screen has really turned into the very “black mirror” that absorbs us. This is what stories from the eponymous series tell us. Someone considers this project an anti-utopia, but take a closer look: do not the obvious features of our everyday life be seen in this fantastic reality?
Brief and talented
The series “Black Mirror” is an anthology, that is, each series tells its own story, revealing various aspects of the influence of gadgets on our lives and, most importantly, on our consciousness. Many viewers easily recognize themselves or someone from their circle in the hero. To date, only three seasons have been filmed, each of which has 3 parts, plus a bonus - one story that claims to be a full-fledged film.
Film critics could not fail to note one feature of the series "Black Mirror": the actors are not repeated here. In each story, we see a new, unique hero. At the same time, “Black Mirror” is a series in which the actors are not high-profile celebrities (for the most part), which means that the viewer does not have a biased attitude, and it is impossible to even guess who is “good” and who is “bad” and how the story will end . And the endings for each episode are simply amazing! Thus, the series "Black Mirror", the actors and roles in which are selected extremely well, completely immerses the viewer in what is happening.
Pigs, fame and memory
In the first season of the series “Black Mirror”, the actors starred as follows: Rory Kinner and Lindsay Duncan in the first episode, Daniel Kaluya and Jessica Findlay in the second and Tobie Kebbel with Jody Whitaki in the third.
The first series - “National Anthem” - is based on a true story. More precisely, on the scandal surrounding the adventures of one politician. At first it seems that this episode is just a satire on a real person, but as the plot develops, the authors lead us to another question: how easy it is to grab our attention! Maybe in real life we ​​also do not pay attention to what is happening under our nose, completely absorbed in the black mirror of the screen?
In the second episode of the series “Black Mirror”, the actors show a completely utopian, it would seem, life, where everything depends on the electronics, and it seems that people here are needed only to support this industry. The hero of Daniel Kaluya at some point decides what is enough for him, and gives up all his strength to express his protest against this artificial system. But is there enough of his fuse to go to the end, and most importantly - is his struggle needed?
The third episode - "All About You" - tells how people could live if their memory was like a computer flash drive. That's really a "black mirror"! Actors of the 1st season of the 3rd series, Tobey Kebbel and Jodi Whitaki, can not only remember what happened to them, but also display this picture on the screen to demonstrate to everyone around! The camera is no longer needed, you can just bare your soul on the mirror of the screen. It’s just that you have to show everything, even what would be better to hide.
Eyes wide shut
In the second season of the series Black Mirror, the actors are a bit more famous. In the first episode, Haley Atwell and Donal Gleeson play a young couple with a sad story: after the death of her husband, the wife could not stand the separation ... No, she did not commit suicide, but simply bought a copy of her beloved! So far, computers are not able to replace humans, but what if ...
The second episode is truly "in the wickedness of the day." Lenora Crichlow, Michael Smiley and Tuppence Middleton reveal the enormity of the situation when people around, seeing a crime or an accident, clutching their phones, but not to call for help, but to shoot a hot video. Say dystopia? But such cases are already much talked about even in the news. And it is not known who is worse: the one who commits the crime, or the one who indifferently watches this.
The third episode, “A Moment for Waldo,” recalls how unreliable the avatars we are hiding on the Internet are. The hero of Daniel Rigby became famous all over the world with the help of the virtual character Waldo created by him, but he didn’t take into account one thing - the world needs this “cartoon”, a computer avatar, and nobody cares about the person who is hiding behind him.
Social networks are tightening
The last episode of this unusual project to date is White Christmas. Actors who starred in this part of the series “Black Mirror” (season 3 is conditionally named, this is a “bonus”) have most impressively and comprehensively shown today's reality. John Hamm, Ralph Spall, Una Chaplin and Natalia Tena peculiarly displayed people who cannot live without social networks. They have become the center of the universe for many: our daily routine and preferences, our relationships and desires, all that we breathe, can be seen on personal pages. It is worth removing a person from the list of friends - and he seems to be deprived of access to your life. But what if this is possible in reality: press a button and block for someone the opportunity to even see you? How does it feel to be on the blacklist?
What to expect
So, the series “Black Mirror” is one of the most high-quality, interesting and shocking projects, which subtly but very strongly reflects all the dangers associated with the uncontrolled enthusiasm for modern technologies. So far, only these 7 episodes have been shot, however, project producer Charlie Brucker promises that the shooting will continue, and in the fall of 2016 we will see the next series. But even already existing seasons provide very tasty food for thought and emotion.