Black Mirror: Plaything
by Charlie Brooker; dir. David Slade (Netflix, 2025)
Quality near-future SF. The premise (true artificial intelligence) is obliquely approached, the viewer first overawed by Peter Capaldi’s presence, drawn into rubbernecking by Lewis Gribben’s performance, and lulled by the adroitly executed 90s-style simulation game Thronglets. Quiet dark humour completes the backdrop.