There's nothing like a depressing, psychologically disturbing, thought-provoking episode of Black Mirror to brighten up your day. But once you've run out of Black Mirror episodes to watch, here are 15 films that could very well fit in with the style of the show.
Ex Machina (2015)
The plot: Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) wins a competition that means he can spend a week at the private estate of brilliant pioneer and CEO, Nathan. Over the course of his visit, Caleb acts as the human component in an elaborate Turing test to trial Ava (Alicia Vikander), an uncanny new artificial intelligence.
Black Mirror vibes: the obvious connection between the film and the Netflix show is the depiction of future technology, however the exploration of A.I's place in society as well as an eerie atmosphere where you don't know who is manipulating who makes this one of the most Black Mirror-y movies on the list.
Sorry To Bother You (2018)
The plot: Lakeith Stanfield plays Cassius Green, a struggling black call center worker who discovers the key to success in his job is using a 'white' voice. Things quickly descend into madness as he meets the CEO of the company (played by Armie Hammer) who makes him an enticing offer.
Black Mirror vibes: the relation to BM is not apparent for the majority of the run time of Sorry to Bother You, though it explores social class, racism and capitalism, themes that are recurring within the Netflix show. It's when the absolutely bizarre ending arrives that the link to some of the odder Black Mirror episodes becomes clearer. This is certainly one of the weirdest films I have ever seen.
Searching (2018)
The plot: David Kim (John Cho) breaks into his 16 year old daughter Margot's laptop after she goes missing. As time ticks on, he must piece together the digital clues left on her social media to find out what happened to Margot.
Black Mirror vibes: though this movie features present day technology, it has a unique perspective by presenting the entire story through laptop, mobile and TV screens. As well as this, the film's exploration of the impact of a person's digital footprint is remincent of some of the ideas explored in Season 2's Be Right Back as well as the detective elements of Hated In the Nation from Season 3.
Okja (2017)
The plot: A young girl embarks on a perilous journey to prevent a powerful company from taking away her best friend, a biologically designed beast called Okja.
Black Mirror vibes: though the technology at play in Okja is biological rather than computer based, this fantastical story uses an alternate reality to explore real life capitalism and environmentalism. There are elements of the finale that are brutally hard-hitting, just like the best Black Mirror episodes.
Get Out (2017)
The plot: In director Jordan Peele's stunning debut, a young African American man, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), visits his white girlfriend's family and realises that things are not as they seem.
Black Mirror vibes: to be honest, this would be a technology- light episode of BM if ever it were one. Peele's story is not too concerned with the mechanisms of the technology used, but instead, its impact within and on the ingrained culture of American racism and prejudice. (Incidentally, Kaluuya is actually a BM alum, having given a phenomenal performance in Season 1's 15 Million Merits.)
Nerve (2016)
The plot: A high school senior (Emma Roberts) gets involved in an online dare game, where every challenge is watched by an anonymous community of viewers.
Black Mirror vibes: this might as well be a Black Mirror episode though perhaps the film's ending is not bleak enough to keep with the reputation of the show. Some of its ideas are remincent of episodes like White Bear and Hated In the Nation, albeit packaged in a more young adult style.
The Truman Show (1998)
The plot: An insurance salesman, Truman Burbank, discovers that his whole life is actually an elaborate reality TV show.
Black Mirror vibes: Black Mirror has played with the idea of technology being used for surveillance multiple times (The Entire History of You, Arkangel) and the concept of blending reality TV with surveillance is an idea that is not too crazy given the state of today's society. The Truman Show is not only a witty, engaging and smart story but also entered pop culture vernacular to represent the odd feeling of being watched by others for entertainment.
Her (2013)
The plot: In the near future, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely letter writer, purchases a new Operating System, the first of its kind. Theodore quickly develops a close relationship with the AI- which calls itself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson)- and has to deal with the conflict of being in love with a digital conciousness.
Black Mirror vibes: in some ways, this is more Black Mirror than Black Mirror itself. The 'one step in the future' society that is presented in Her is beautifully crafted and shot, effortlessly realistic. Samantha feels incredibly real and Johansson's beautiful voice performance makes it easy to see how someone could fall in love with an artificial intelligence system.
Robot & Frank (2012)
The plot: Frank is a retired thief living alone and grappling with a fading memory. When Frank's son buys him a robot caretaker, Frank initially resents it- however he soon realises that 'Robot' may be the perfect accomplice to the perfect crime.
Black Mirror vibes: I actually think this story would have worked better as a compressed Black Mirror episode but the movie itself is an enjoyable watch. The quirky concept combined with the clever commentary on the use of technology as a companion to the elderly would have made this a solid addition to the show.
Source Code (2011)
The plot: Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up inside someone else's body and discovers that he part of a government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.
Black Mirror vibes: without spoiling some of the reveals within Source Code, the way the technology works is quite remincent of some of the elements of Black Mirror episodes, USS Callister and White Christmas.
Moon (2009)
The plot: Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has been stationed on the moon for three years, working for Lunar Industries. He lives completely isolated, separated from his wife and infant daughter. After an accident that results in his injury, Bell begins to question his sanity.
Black Mirror vibes: something about the very music of the film combined with the low budget, atmosphere of dread and powerhouse lead performance leads me to believe this would effortlessly fit in with Black Mirror.
A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
The plot: from the minds of Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick comes the story of a highly realistic robotic boy (Haley Joel Osment) who longs to be real so that he can win the love of his mother.
Black Mirror vibes: this is a seriously weird, disturbing film that is faintly reminscent of Be Right Back, which also deals with the use of technology to fill the void left by real loved ones Though the end of the film is perhaps too far-fetched for the show, the idea of couples being able to buy a fake, AI child seems oddly believable.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
The plot: The original 1982 movie follows the story of a blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who must pursue four rogue replicants (human clones). The 2017 sequel continues the story by focusing on another blade runner, K (Ryan Gosling), whose investigations lead him to a now aged Deckard.
Black Mirror vibes: aside from its dark, cyberpunk aesthetic, both Blade Runner films also use the idea of cloning technology to question fundamental truths about humanity through the ambiguous distinction between real and replicant.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The plot: Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) decide to erase each other from their memories after a painful break-up.
Black Mirror vibes: Season 1's The Entire History of You used a fictional piece of technology to explore the potential impact it might have on romantic relationships. Eternal Sunshine combines the bleak aspects of that episode with the more romantic, hopeful nature of Season 3's San Junipero.
Minority Report (2002)
The plot: In the year 2054, crime is eliminated due to a special police unit being able to arrest criminals before they commit their crimes. John Anderton (Tom Cruise), head of the 'Precrime' unit, realises that there is something wrong with the system when he is himself accused of a future murder.
Black Mirror vibes: If the concept of a future predicting technology was not Black Mirror enough, director Steven Spielberg's thorough research into what technology might look like in the future means that the world building details of the film- including an uncannily accurate targeted advertising system- are way ahead of its time.
Thank you for reading this article. Let me know if I missed any from this list by following me on Twitter (@filmdomblog) or Instagram (cinematicwallflower).
I do not own any of the images used in this post.
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