Paul Giamatti looks back on life filled with regret in a thoughtful inspection of love and memory. Here’s our Black Mirror: Eulogy review.
In the world of Black Mirror, when a “kit” arrives at your front door via drone, it’s rarely a good sign. In Philip (Paul Giamatti)’s case, it might be just what he needs.
The package comes from an organisation called Eulogy, a funeral company which transforms memories of the deceased into “immersive experiences”. Philip’s old girlfriend, Carol, has passed away, and his name was in her contacts list. Along with his digital guide (Patsy Ferran), the pair are able to delve into the polaroid photographs long-buried in a shoebox in the attic – memories the still heartbroken Philip would rather forget…
Playing out as a character-driven two-hander, Eulogy escapes the sci-fi thriller trappings weighing down some of the season’s previous episodes to deliver a far gentler, more melancholic exploration of its initially familiar-sounding conceit. Where Hotel Reverie took its characters into the living world of the moving image, here 3D worlds are created from sun-drenched still photographs. Giamatti wanders through fragments of his own recollection as his former friends and neighbours play out a lengthy game of musical statues.
Another rare optimistic take on its sci-fi premise, Eulogy joins the ranks of San Junipero and Hang The DJ in the show’s stable of sweet, character-driven romances. There’s a sense that this could be where creator Charlie Brooker (who co-wrote the episode alongside Ella Road) now feels more comfortable – between this episode, Hotel Reverie and series opener Common People, gentle melancholy seems like the seventh season’s uniting feature far more than biting techno-political satire.
It helps that the sci-fi premise here feels far less intrusive than elsewhere. Giamatti and Ferran step between photographs like a duo exploring an art gallery. Powerhouse performances from both keep the narrative laser-focused on Philip, his hopes and his regrets. The result is one of the more affecting character-studies Black Mirror has delivered in years, even if the script occasionally borders on the clichéd.
Despite that, a smartly executed central idea will do a lot of heavy lifting. In its gentle pondering on the power of memory, music and the physical image, Eulogy more than delivers on the series’ signature dissection of humanity’s relationship with technology. In its own way, this is as brilliant a satire as Black Mirror at its peak.
Black Mirror is streaming on Netflix now. Check out reviews of the rest of series 7 here.
