Film Review: Fifteen Million Merits

Storyline

The main character of this film, Bing keeps on repeating his daily routine with the same uniform and earning points by cycling, living in a space surrounded by black glass and technologies. When the female mates want to interact more with him, he tries to reject them a thousand miles away, nothing got his interest and he refused to know more about it. The cycling work is also eliminated by showing those who failed to work out and being too fat will be sent to do the cleaning.

One day, Bing overheard a girl who names Abi’s singing and he was in love in Abi’s voice. Bing decided to take out his 15 million points which transferred by his dead brother’s to help Abi to buy the ticket to the show which called as HOTSHOT and help her to fulfil her dream, in return Abi gave back him an origami penguin.

Before the performance on stage, the staff gave Abi a drink, she felt dizzy but she keeps on giving her performance but the judges said it is normal for them and they deviate her dream by telling her appearance would be better used for pornography. The audience cheered and Abi just agreed with it. This makes Bing feel disappointed and mad after he saw the release of the pornographic which Abi was in the movie. Bing didn’t have enough balance to skip the commercial. This makes him starting to reject anything and he tries to earn the fifteen million points to get himself a new golden ticket to the HOTSHOT.

He gets to avoid the drinks from the crew by showing Abi’s beverage which she had drank. Bing went up to the stage and confided to the judges and audience by pulling out the broken glass. However, the judges subtly resolved his criticism and took it as a ‘performance’ and offered him a program where he could continue telling the reality and truth. By facing this great treats, Bing accepted their offer that makes him no longer had to do cycling, the broken glass was nicely kept into a box as that his prop for the show. No more commercial or programme showed but with a forest projected on the large virtual screen. Food was replaced with juice, and the penguin origami which given by Abi was replaced with a penguin statue.

Character

Bing

Bing is reasonably athletic and keeps on repeating his daily routine by riding his bike and stay in the black box. When he met his love and try to help Abi out to fulfil her dream but end up with Abi joining the porn industry. He felt mad and try to earn the points back to stand in front of the judges to talk about the truth of power, Bing even fell into the trap of fame and luxury by joining the talk show.

Abi

Abi a talented young woman who is brainwashed and pressured into becoming a porn star in this film. She gets Bing help to go to the HOTSHOT to show her talent but after the judges’ comment, she got persuade to join in the porn industry.

Style

Social realism

The film was produced to aim the attention of showing the real society being controlled with the power structure. To enjoy a more comfortable environment and not back to the daily routine with the riding cycle, Abi had joined to the pornographic industry. As Bin thought it’s with the beverage matter, he also fell into the trap by receiving the benefits from the judges. This show with how technologies control the society currently and with the words, power of attorney and money can control anything.

Genre

Science Fiction

The concept of showing the future scientific and technological advances to society and environment changes. This show with the advance of the environment which Bing live, it’s a box with technologies and people can just control anything with just a fingertip. Even people can just stay in their place and using the avatar to represent themselves in the show. Other than that, the technologies also can know what people thinking and automatically switch on what they want to watch.

Romance

It shows with a little element of romance by showing how Bing having an interest in Abi and try to help her get the golden ticket which is expensive. Moreover, other than Abi, Bing has no interest with other female mates and only Abi has special treats. Besides, Bing also shows his feeling with telling his mad to the people after knowing they force Abi to film pornographic movie.

Main idea

I think in my point of view, this film is about how people are being controlled. With no freedom and repeating the daily routine, people only interaction with technologies which show unrealistic things, even in the story comes to an end with Bing wanted to revenge which almost succeed, Black Mirror always not forget to crush people’s last hope by giving Bing failed and ends up he was integrated to their system and changed from a small black space to a larger space with better treats.

Somehow people understand that it’s hard to fight against the power but probably the most terrible thing is not just through physical threat but also mental corruption. It corrupts the human heart and easily got influence by the words and actions which makes people lost and even worst brings evil thoughts.

Bing’s ending shows me that the only hope was completely smashed as when people were received with the power of strength and money, they eventually get interrupted easily and it turns up Bing being controlled by started to host a talk show and even the broken glasses used as a prop to sell to the audience.

People are too relied on the technologies which bring them lots of benefits and even now some people even having the problem of ‘NOMOPHOBIA’- which is stated as no mobile phone phobia. People just can’t live without and they are like drugs that make people addicted to it.

The content of social media is the example of Bing’s performance which someone who wanted to voice out but not everyone understands like the judges just take it as a performance and the comments can directly influence people’s mind to make them agree with it as words are their tools. Other than that, the advertisement which appears for many times is also a way to influence people’s thought.

I think Black Mirror is a film to look at today’s society, showing a similar current situation which always repeating. By expressing all the acts, it reflected to show the true cruel world.