Black Mirror: Common People – Review
First Reaction – Black Mirror: Common People is a brilliant reflection on subscription services.
Black Mirror is available on Netflix now.
Director: Ally Pankiw
Writer: Charlie Brooker, Bisha K Ali (Screenplay)
Cast
- Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids)
- Radisha Jones (Parks and Recreation)
- Tracee Ellis Ross (American Fiction)
- Nicholas Cirillo (Outer Banks)
Plot: When a medical emergency leaves schoolteacher Amanda fighting for her life, her desperate husband Mike signs her up for Rivermind, a high-tech system that will keep her alive.
Runtime: 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Black Mirror: Common People begins when a couple, schoolteacher Amanda (Jones) and steelworker Mike (O’Dowd), suffer a tragedy. An unexpected illness strikes Amanda, leaving Mike to face an impossible decision. Mike works with Gaynor (Ross) on an experimental procedure that will keep Amanda alive.
However, the consequence of the procedure means that Amanda sleeps longer and Mike is forced to work more shifts to cover the cost. Their normal lives have changed, leading to them losing what made their life special before her illness.
Verdict on Black Mirror: Common People
Recap
The episode follows an everyday couple who suffer a medical emergency, leading them to turn to an experimental procedure. While it brings them together again before the consequences begin to take effect.
Best Parts
This episode does a wonderful job showing how difficult and risky new technology can be for everyday people to keep their lives together. It takes a brilliant turn with how subscription services have begun dominating life and have additions to them, removing the baseline. Way to go, Netflix! let an episode have a dig at your own changes. It shows the darker side of human addiction and how people will do anything for money. The performances are fantastic, drawing you into the quiet little life.
Final Thoughts –Black Mirror: Common People is a brilliant reflection on subscription model lies.
