Black Mirror - "San Junipero"

"An age-old romance infused with new and modern themes."

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Title: Black Mirror
Episodes Reviewed: Season 3, Episode 4 “San Junipero”
Writer: Charlie Brooker 👨🏼🇬🇧 
Director: Owen Harris 👨🏼🇬🇧 

Reviewed by Li 👩🏻 🇺🇸 

Technical: 5/5

Good writing, beautiful hazy-dreamy 1980s throwback vibe. The script is almost theatrical, the acting stage-like. The story is at the core an age-old romance but infused with new, modern themes.

Gender: 4.5/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

The two female leads feature prominently in this episode. Men have various support roles and are not especially developed, but neither are they caricatures.

Race: 5/5

One of the two leads is mixed-race black, but her skin color is not a focal point, merely one aspect of her rich characterization.

LGBTQ: 5/5

The plot of this episode features the romantic relationship between two women and is elegantly handled so that is transcends into a beautiful, classic love story.

Mediaversity Grade: A 4.88/5

San Junipero is exactly what the future of inclusive media should look like: nuanced, accommodating of fluid identities, eschewing of stereotypes, and drawing on universal, human emotions so that any viewer can get swept away. Bonus: it’s a visual feast for the eyes and the music transports you straight into the beautiful world Charlier Brooker’s built.