Illusion Of Free Will:Metadramatic Features In Interactive Film Black Mirror:Bandersnatch

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is an interactive film in the British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror,premiering on the streaming media platform Netflix in Christmas season of 2018.Different from the traditional way of film-watching,its interactive feature requires viewers to click on the screen constantly to choose consequent plots.Its slogan of “choose your own adventure” implies that viewers are endowed with great freedom to decide how the story develops.However,the seemingly novel and interesting viewing method has been subjected to criticism since the release of the film.The controversy mainly focuses on the conflict between interactivity and narrativity,and ends with common negative attitudes towards the film’s artistic value.Advocates of traditional films think its interactivity impairs the coherence of the narrative;while game enthusiasts believe its interactivity is seriously insufficient,for it brings far less immersive experience than the vast majority of simulation games on the market.The current research focuses on the widely considered unsuccessful innovation of interactivity in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and uses interdisciplinary perspective of transmedia narratology and metadrama theory to search for the creation purpose and profundity of the work.Marie-Laure Ryan’s transmedia narratology suggests a specific interactive type can be selected from varieties depending on the creation needs of a work.Thus,it can be speculated that the seemingly flawed “interaction” in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is an intentional strategy chosen by the scriptwriter Charlie Brooker and his team.In order to fully understand the “interaction”,it is necessary to place it in its context,a story that is closely related to the discussion on free will.Interactive film has not been an independent artistic form so far,nor has it been given an agreed definition.The strong transmedia characteristic makes it a hybrid of different artistic forms.Through meticulous analysis of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,it can be detected that the use of “interaction” greatly resembles the device of“metadrama” in theater performance,in that they both wittingly break the dramatic illusion thus bring audience uneasy viewing experience,so as to challenge audience’s existing world view.Therefore,with Richard Hornby’s metadrama theory as support,this paper examines how the “interaction” achieves effect of quasi-metadrama.By comparing the “interaction” and three typical metadramatic devices,the theme and the creation purpose of the film can be explored,so that the misgivings over the critical controversies will be readily solved.This paper contains five chapters.Chapter One gives an introduction to the film,relevant literature review,the research significance as well as the theoretical foundation and framework.The plight of interactive films,represented by Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,and the possible resolution provided by transmedia narratology is elaborated.Chapter Two compares the metadramatic device “play within a play” with the“double-layered game” in the film.The “interaction” as a plot device helps viewers accomplish their characterization as an “outside controller”,no longer as a mere spectator.The mutual-control of the protagonist Stefan and viewers illustrates that free will does not exist for both sides.Chapter Three examines two “literary and real-life references” in the film(i.e.the“UBIK spray can poster” and the “binary-tree glyph”)to indicate that the alternate realities resulting from the iterative “interaction” bear strong essential characteristics of external manipulation and determinism.Chapter Four first analyzes the “self-reference” of Stefan.The “estrangement effect” engendered from the breaking of “the fourth wall” forces viewers to reexamine their perception of the film and character.Second,this chapter analyzes the self-reference of the film itself to propose the film calls attention to its interactive nature and attempts to arouse more reflection upon the interactive genre in film industry.Based on previous chapters,Chapter Five draws the conclusion that the“interaction” in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is not only its means but also its end,serving the ultimate proposition of illusion of free will.With the implantation of metadrama theory into interactive film analysis,this paper offers a new perspective to understand this new genre.By encoding the “interaction” as no free will,the film also provides more inspiration for later-comers,reminding them to ponder on the interactive genre before rushing for it.