The Black Mirror episodes are often set in the future, so why did Charlie Brooker- the movies screenwriter as well as Black Mirror’s writer and program creator- write Stefan’s story in 1984? One possible reason for this is because in the year 1984 a video game named Bandersnatch was scheduled for release by the company Imagine Software, however the game never got released and 18 months later the company went bankrupt. The year also has a significant meaning to many literature lovers due to George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, in which society is under 24/7 surveillance from the government and strictly forbidden from having any form of individualism. While Stefan wasn’t under strict surveillance from his government- or was he? the interactive way of the movie took away his choice of free will, which could also mean taking away his individualism. It’s unknown whether Brooker meant to connect Bandersnatch with 1984, but nonetheless there seems to be a connection between the two.
Imagine this….
You are walking to your therapist and begin seeing a bunch of posters. These posters consist of multiple phrases all consisting of the same idea: time is malleable and lie. As you pick up a few and begin reading them it starts to make sense, in a way. When your therapy appointment begins she asks what you want to talk about. Do you talk about your mental struggles, or the concept that time is just a concept and malleable?