Against interactivity. Phenomenological notes on Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Interactive cinema is one of the most interesting areas of experimentation with storytelling form. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018), a stand-alone episode of the acclaimed British television series available on Netflix, has restarted the debate around this genre. This article offers a discussion of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Adriano D'Aloia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Bologna 2020-12-01
Series:Series. International journal of tv serial narratives
Subjects:
Online Access:https://series.unibo.it/article/view/11410
Description
Summary:Interactive cinema is one of the most interesting areas of experimentation with storytelling form. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018), a stand-alone episode of the acclaimed British television series available on Netflix, has restarted the debate around this genre. This article offers a discussion of several critical elements inherent to the experience of viewing Bandersnatch, specifically those related to its interactive, meta-reflexive, and ludic character. The tension between interactive and interpretative cooperation, between actuality and virtuality, between self-reflexivity and self-referentiality, between free choice and control, between co-authorship and authority, and between gaming and gambling, bring out the contradictions of a product characteristic of the current transmedial landscape.
ISSN:2421-454X