Domhnall Gleeson’s 2015 Sci-Fi Movie Was Weirdly Foreshadowed By Black Mirror 2 Years Earlier

While Domhnall Gleeson’s Black Mirror episode is one of the show’s strongest outings, it has an unexpected counterpart in a critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller he made two years later. Since Black Mirror began in 2011, creator Charlie Brooker’s series has been touted as one of the best sci-fi anthology shows of the twenty-first century. Black Mirror’s best episodes are reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, utilizing outlandish sci-fi tropes to tell chilling stories about human nature. However, not all the show’s outings were equally successful in the eyes of critics and audiences, with later seasons receiving substantially more criticism.

Although the upcoming Black Mirror season 7 might change this, the series is often accused of losing its spark and dark edge after its first few seasons. From 2011 until 2014, the show’s first two seasons and its first special, White Christmas, were produced by Britain’s Channel 4. Since then, Netflix has taken over the series and produced seasons 4—6 as well as the interactive movie Bandersnatch. Although the early Netflix seasons feature some all-time great episodes, the early seasons are home to many of the show’s finest hours. These include season 2, episode 1, “Be Right Back.”

Related

8 Black Mirror Sequel Episodes That We’d Actually Love To See

With the announcement of Black Mirror season 7 having a sequel to the episode USS Callister, it’s worth looking at other episodes that need a sequel.

Domhnall Gleeson’s Black Mirror Episode Is The Opposite Of His Ex Machina Role

Gleeson Has Been On Both Sides Of Two AI Robot Love Stories

In “Be Right Back,” Domhnall Gleeson’s Ash is killed early on and his partner Martha struggles with the ethical implications of using an AI-powered app (and, later, robot) to replace him. Gleeson plays the AI-driven robot who is loved by a human in the Black Mirror episode and, two years later, Ex Machina saw him take on the opposite role. A twisty sci-fi thriller whose devastating ending could match Black Mirror’s most disturbing episode, Ex Machina starred Gleeson in the role of a hapless human who falls in love with an experimental AI-driven robot while testing its abilities.

Ex Machina and “Be Right Back” do have their differences, with the movie being a tense psychological thriller and the Black Mirror episode acting as more of a tragic romance. Ex Machina’s hero is caught between an unhinged inventor’s hubris and the seemingly harmless sentient robot he has created, whereas the heroine of “Be Right Back” must contend with the ethics of handling her AI-driven replacement partner alone. Ex Machina features a comically cruel twist ending that leaves no one happy while, although Black Mirror‘s happy endings are few and far between, the ending of “Be Right Back” is less unambiguously bleak.

How Black Mirror’s “Be Right Back” Story Mirrors Ex Machina

Ex Machina Offers A More Cynical Depiction Of AI’s Future Potential

That said, there are still many similarities between the two stories. Ex Machina offers a more cynical depiction of AI’s potential as a transformative technological tool, but the movie still mirrors the underlying thesis of “Be Right Back.” Namely, both texts imply that it will be through imitating emotional bonds that AI will find a place in human life. Whether it is Ex Machina’s hero falling for a wily robot or the heroine of “Be Right Back” trying to contain her grief, both stories hinge on the idea of AI exploiting people. This remains one of Black Mirror‘s most unsettling predictions.

Black Mirror

Release Date

December 4, 2011

Seasons

6

Writers

Charlie Brooker , Kanak Huq , Jesse Armstrong , Rashida Jones , Michael Schur , William Bridges