We don’t need Bandersnatch

I have been extensively traveling and busy with art exhibitions and work events, this constantly delayed my blogging. I wanted to write strongly about the Netflix show BANDERSNATCH after I watched it. Better late than never. When I saw this new Black Mirror movie on Netflix I was very excited. I watch Black Mirror, although not particularly my kind of show (it’s too dark), it’s gripping enough for me to watch episode after episode.

When BANDERSNATCH started I was super excited since I hadn’t expected it to be an interactive movie. I was practically squealing while watching the show. I had, obviously, expected it to be dark, following the standard premise of Black Mirror. However, as the show progressed so did my disappointment in it. For one it had limited options for story selection, any particular option may lead u to a dead end and then u had to come back to deselect. Point being, if you had to steer the audience in your direction of the story then why give the option in the first place? I am already tired of making multiple life choices on a regular basis, I would rather watch a movie/show the way the story writer wants me to see it, fair enough. So why have the tease of making the audiences believe that they can actually choose options that would lead them to a certain end. Instead that would bring us back to choosing again. I honestly abandoned the movie after some time.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

One of the more disturbing aspects of the movie was the content. A substantial number of young adults cite mental health issues today; keeping this in mind it is very important for movie makers to have social responsibility towards creating responsible. BANDERSNATCH has so many triggers for those who are combating anxiety and trust issue, especially that of abandonment and detachment. Other shows like Mr. Robot also take you on a dark path. I couldn’t watch more than a couple episodes of that show either.

Call me old school, but I would not appreciate a movie where one is being given an option of killing the father, whether foster or adoptive. I am dealing with GAD myself, I know how difficult it is to trust and operate without the entertainment I watch telling me how dark the world is. I watched ‘Isn’t it Romantic’ yesterday, yet another Netflix movie. To be honest it is a silly movie. The message that the movie gave out at the end is the kind that the young adults need today. Maybe not in a silly ‘all pink and sunflowers’ movie. But a movie that has something to look forward to, which is as widely marketed, as these dark shows.

We are living and dealing with a world that is already violent. We are raising children in a world that has triggers in every corner. We need entertainment that is devoid of it. We are already fighting for space, religion, beliefs, careers and what not. We need to soften the world. We need more feminine (the values/attributes). A world that you can love and that loves you back. And if that’s too much to ask then at least a world where you can love yourself.