Watching the Pokémon Go craze in action can feel like something plucked straight out of a Black Mirror episode. The very sight of people scouring through bushes and trees on their lunch breaks or wandering through apartment hallways after a long day at work while flicking their iPhones at invisible creatures summons the same sense of eerie, dystopian absurdity of Netflix’s darkly satirical anthology series.
Those looking for a clearer illustration of this should look no further than Patrick Willems’ inspired Pokémon Go–themed Black Mirror homage film. The five-minute short begins by tracking a new relationship compromised by a Pokémon-chasing addiction—a man defends ditching his date with the perfect text excuse, “had to catch a Charizard”—before delving deep into speculative paranoia. Pay attention to the little details, and you might not see Pokémon Go—or Black Mirror, for that matter—the same way again.
