In my first viewing of the film, the story ended with Stefan killing his father, chopping up the body, and his game Bandersnatch receiving a perfect score. This would have been a simple Black Mirror episode concerning a man’s loss of sanity. But it was the fact that I felt personally responsible for these events that made the experience so much more rewarding.

Alongside that feeling was all the branching paths I had formed in my head while watching. I was eager to jump right back into the experience and see how the story would end up for Stefan this time.

This was all very absorbing. And I’m glad the story played with the ideas of the protagonist feeling like his actions were out of his control. I was worried the experience would just be a backdrop for a different story. But no, the fact that we are making choices for Stefan ends up adding an extra layer of intrigue.

But did the experience get any better for me on repeat watchings, or was the initial viewing the best?