Black Mirror (TV Series) White Bear (2013) User Reviews

A powerful message that will only be absorbed by a few.

[Mikelikesnotlikes · 8/10 · 17 February 2018]

WHITE BEAR's plot does not stand up to intensive scrutiny or logical dissection, however the message behind it's premise is abundantly clear. But the message will only be recognized by those of us who haven't already descended into this hellish, jaded world. This episode seems to be taking crime and punishment to the extreme, but it isn't really about that.

The episode accurately portrays us as being trained to treat world-wide tragedies as entertainment. After all, today's reporters jostle for space to film burned, shot and broken people to get the money shot of blood, tears, screams and destruction, while passers-by look on.

Exceptional situations are no longer a prompt for action for most of us. A degradation of our morals allow us to watch and wait for someone else to fix the issue for us.

It reminds me of the YouTube comments I read when someone uploads a car accident. The priority is on the way the camera is held rather than the upside down bus full of injured children.

Why do we now reach for a camera rather than the first aid kit when a friend hurts themselves? What are we becoming? How far down this path will we go?

All very interesting questions that came up for me after watching WHITE BEAR.

What is justice?

[dierregi · 7/10 · 12 February 2018]

As most other episodes of Black Mirror, this one raised difficult questions through uncomfortable viewing. That is why I would not feel honest to write that I "liked" it - as in "it was fun, I'd like to watch it again".

I would not want to watch this again, but for sure it made me think about punishment that fits the crime. Nowadays, lots of people feel that criminals literally get away with murder and that punishment for heinous crimes is too light.

To which extent particularly cruel crimes should be punished? The extent showed in this episode seems OK, up to the point of repetition. How many times is the criminal supposed to go through the same torture? Is ten years of suffering enough to pay for a week of criminal activity? And who establishes how long the punishment must last?

Uncomfortable food for thought.

Crime and Punishment

[Firesurfer15 · 9/10 · 28 December 2018]

I have enjoyed reading users' commentary discussing the severity of the main character's punishment. Some see it as too severe and dehumanizing while others feel the character is not punished enough because her memory is wiped clean every day. I feel these are great points but perhaps missing the main point of the episode. This has little to do with righting a wrong or providing justice. This is all about society getting to punish a bad person repeatedly until they feel better. It argues that the punishment for a crime is more focused on the gratification it gives to the rest of us.

Yes, humanity is powerful and can get really lost

[EsraaFarouk · 10/10 · 12 April 2018]

This is one of the best episodes in Black Mirror. It reminded me of Metalhead episode in a sense that I did not enjoy 40 mins of a woman screaming and running without knowing what's happening in that crazy world, but here in White Bear this is exactly the thing; you should at least know that this is pointless torture! It broke my heart when she said "I'm a human being", she begs and cries everyday and yet no one in the show doubted the whole thing! Yes, people can get really cruel and dreadful, especially when they collectively believe that they have the right to judge and punish. The mark on the screens reminded me of the Nazi's swastika, and no surprise that I was very familiar with the euphoria and blind belief of the audience in the episode; we have seen this with Hitler, Rwanda, Middle east, etc. When you're strong and you think you're on the right side/class/race/religion, you can be really really inhumane to the extent that you enjoy repeated pointless torture to a human for THE SAME CRIME.

Very well written and very well acted as well.

Best episode yet

[hattiekent · 10/10 · 16 April 2017]

The problem with all the negative reviews is that many people are missing the point about this episode. It's an intense episode, and shows an example of group psychology. Whilst watching, you realise that it is so easy for humanity to get lost. Especially when being influenced through others. In other reviews, people said they didn't understand it. At the part when it reveals that her memory gets wiped clean each night, people said it wasn't making her suffer and they were torturing her for their own amusement. THIS WAS THE POINT! Unfortunately, this reflects hows society can dehumanise a person so easily as in a crowd people can be influenced by others to either be sympathetic or horrible. Overall this was such an amazing thought provoking piece of television and I believe that you have to be open minded in order to fully get the most out of this episode.

One of the most powerful Black Mirror episodes.

[mlpjl0003 · 9/10 · 3 April 2017]

While this episode may be one of the most difficult to stomach, it is also one of the more daring, intense, and powerful episodes of the series up until this point. It's structured masterfully, the acting is incredible, and it brings up questions that society is often afraid to answer; at what point do we go too far in the name of justice? At what point does punishment cross the line of morality and cross into the realm of sadism?

Throughout most of the episode, the audience is left just as confused as Victoria. Tension steadily arises and does not cease until long after the episode has ended. This confusion was wholly intentional, as we are meant to be seeing things exactly the way our main character is; confused, uncertain, frustrated, fearful. The only things I can complain about with this episode are the fact that Victoria can become annoying due to the fact that she is almost constantly whining, and that this episode mostly relies on its ending. Its ending is powerful, though, as we discover that Victoria is being punished on a loop, for the entertainment of a large crowd and the entirety of the internet, for a crime that she does not remember, as she is repeatedly being electrocuted heavily so that her memory is wiped. Now the audience must ask questions. We know that her crime was awful; still, though, she didn't actually kill the child, only assist in the kidnapping and be compliant in allowing her murder and recording it. Is this not the same as what is being done to Victoria? How can you punish someone for a crime they don't remember committing? If she doesn't remember it, or even who she is, is the person being punished really the same as the person who committed the crime?

Similarly to the episode "Shut Up and Dance", in season 3, episode 3, Charlie Brooker makes us ponder upon the harsh punishments given to people who have committed crimes against children. He gives us time with the character, some of the horrors they have/will experience, and then reveal the nature of their crime. Does this person deserve a fate far worse than death? It's up to us and the rest of society to decide.

Satire of hypocrisy

[Bored_Dragon · 8/10 · 24 July 2021]

A young woman wakes up from unconsciousness with complete amnesia. Not knowing who she is or where she is, she begins to wander around and it becomes increasingly clear to her that something is seriously wrong. All the people she encounters stare at her in complete silence and record her with mobile phones, keeping a safe distance at all times. And then masked lunatics begin to appear, trying in every way to get to her, completely ignoring the silent observers.

Almost everything I want to comment on this episode would spoil it to those who have not seen it yet. The series has gone a step further and sci-fi drama, that characterized the previous episodes, here is brought to the brink of horror. A mysterious story, good acting and even better directing build a creepy and tense atmosphere, which culminates in a completely unexpected twist. All sorts of theories went through my head, but at no point was I even close to grasping what it was all about. Original and very effective.

8/10.

S2: White Bear: Effective and chilling delivery of a solid piece of voyeurism, justice and the internet (SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 1 February 2014]

This second episode of the second season of Black Mirror has some common ground with the opening episode of the first season in its tone and themes. The plot here sees a young woman waking up in a house with no memory of what has gone before but knowing something is wrong – not least the symbol endlessly broadcast on her TV. Wandering outside she finds the other residents in the dead town are staring at her, filming her on their phones without speaking to her. Things take a darker turn when a man in a mask pulls up in a car, takes a shotgun from the trunk and advances on her. Fleeing she is rescued by a couple who don't seem to be in the stupor of the others and it is from these people that Victoria learns more of what has happened.

It is very hard not to spoil this story while talking about it so I will just go ahead and give up on that from the start. This is a great film which succeeds while also being a little bit messy and inconclusive – indeed I would say that this tumbling uncertainty is part of the appeal since the film works as many things at different stages. In the first sections it works as a really effective chiller and horror; the fear felt by Victoria is very well portrayed and the imagery of this nightmare world is very convincing and unsettling. While it works at this level the film also functions as a comment on the internet (some watch while the hunters just become hunters because they can get away with it) or a comment on the voyeuristic nature of the modern media and internet culture. Not a razor sharp comment perhaps, but one that works while partnered with the much stronger horror aspect.

At a later point the film flips things as we see that Victoria is not the innocent that we thought she was and that this is all some sort of game at her expense. This threw me well and this feeling of not being sure what was going on was quite satisfying and engaging. The horror theme continues but in a different way as the crowd of silent voyeurs becomes something much more sinister and violent as the themes of justice and mob-mentality are brought out. It is this odd mix that means the film isn't wholly successful and does tend to jump around thematically a bit too much, but it is also what works well. It gets over the hurdle and works partly because it flips the viewer so effectively from being on the side of the persecuted to later being forced to reluctantly take their place amongst the voyeurs. It is a nice flip that gives you a lot to think about (plot wise and theme wise) and in this way it also covers up the various plot holes it has at the same time.

Crichlow is great in the lead. Just as the previous Black Mirror film was carried by a very strong female lead, so too is this one. She is convincing throughout and her fear makes the early sections works while her pain makes the viewer's discomfort an effective part of the narrative later. Supporting turns from Smiley, Middleton and others are good but the film belongs to Crichlow and she really commits. Tibbetts' direction works all the angles well while Brooker's script may not be perfect but balances all the ideas as well as I guess they could have been done.

White Bear is another great piece of sci-fi satire. It may not have the emotional punch of the previous episode but it is thoughtful, unsettling and very effective. Just in case you needed one, it is another reason to love Charlie Brooker.

Good story

[lilledianao · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

It was a good story and a cool twist but I was so annoyed by the protagonist crying and screaming throughout the entire episode, it completely ruined it for me and almost made it unwatchable. I get that she is scared and confused by every scene contained it.

If it's un-ethical, it's not a bad movie

[antebrkic · 10/10 · 7 January 2019]

People giving negative reviews mostly because they feel provoked by the un-ethical approach but that's what the story is about. The very idea of the BM is to show ethically questionable behaviour in the future made available by new technologies.

The movie does not say "this is how the future should look like". It's just presenting dystopian thoughts to make you think.

Intolerable cruelty.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 28 February 2020]

The second series of 'Black Mirror (2011-)' continues with 'White Bear', which is perhaps the most 'twist-reliant' episode so far. In fact, it's the only episode of the first two seasons to pivot entirely on a single, central reveal. That's not to say it's bad, though. The plot point in question does reshape the rest of the piece, while also opening a discussion around several interesting themes. When is a punishment considered a crime? Can you be held responsible for something you have no recollection of? How far is too far? These questions are incredibly intriguing and the picture does an excellent job of posing them without even really attempting to answer them. It's thematically compelling and often uncomfortable, its devilishly dark and near nihilistic outlook never once relenting. The bulk of the movie is taken up by a more straightforward survival story, though. It's chock full of mysteries and doesn't really come into itself until its final third. It's always enjoyable, though. It may not be the best 'Black Mirror (2011-)', but it's still a solid piece of science-fiction. 7/10

Twisted, clever, one of the best.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 31 December 2018]

White Bear is another superb episode of Black Mirror, definitely one of the best of the early seasons. Lenora Crichlow is terrific as the main character, and her bizarre scenario is terrifically exciting and enthralling. The twist is huge, and delivered in such a way, that you lose all empathy for the 'victim.' it's a very visual episode, it looks incrediy stylish, the story is such, that it stays with you, it certainly gets you wondering.

One of the best. 9/10

Crying and Screaming

[shauncore808 · 7/10 · 18 June 2022]

Why do writers seem to think that people want to see women hysterically crying? The plot of this episode is great, but the main character spends the entire thing screaming and crying which is unbelievably obnoxious. Contrary to a lot of the other reviews, I think the actress did really well for what she was given. But what she was given by the writers was terrible. I'm fairly confident she was instructed to cry and wail for 40 minutes straight, and she did exactly that.

It's pretty much the same thing that kept happening to Sarah Paulson for the first 5 seasons of American Horror Story. Great actress that's for some reason written to cry every minute she's on the screen...

The episode gave me a headache!

[northgate-studios · 4/10 · 7 June 2019]

The constant crying and whimpering of the main character was overwhelming annoying, barely made it through.

..what did I just see?

[call_dip · 10/10 · 27 February 2021]

It was out of the wildest possible imagination that my mind could conjure up.

And Damn! You made me question my morality.

A complete mind-f**k that stayed with me for days

[bseaman-20248 · 10/10 · 21 August 2017]

I've watched all three seasons of "Black Mirror". I can say that "White Bear" was hands' down my favourite episode, although it was the one that most troubled me and left me feeling both guilty and intrigued by the idea of alternative ways to: 1) make somebody feel accountable for something they've done and 2) make the viewer feel accountable for vicariously participating in another person's absolute debasement.

Kudos to everyone on this series who played a role in making "White Bear". The episode delivers a punch to our moral sensibilities, drives a knife into our beliefs about right and wrong and then twists that knife to leave us asking at the end of it all: do we all have a monster in the nether regions of our psyches that gets satisfaction on the basest of levels at seeing somebody else suffer? "White Bear" is what could have been the result of a collaborative effort by Rod Serling, David Conenberg and David Lynch, tasked with the objective of creating a game where people are given the opportunity to participate in the ritual torture of another person, albeit one who has done something absolutely vile and inexcusable to another.

The kicker is that the person who has committed a vile act against another is not being held accountable for her actions, as she is forced to undergo ritual torture day after day with no memory of what had transpired to that point. So in essence, the participants in her torture, as are we the viewers, all members of the baying mob drawn to the sight of somebody else's misery.

Unalloyed irony and hypocrisy

[KFL · 8/10 · 1 October 2016]

Funny how these two words don't seem to come up, at least in the comments and reviews I have read, yet they're what this episode is all about. Irony and hypocrisy.

Without wanting to say too much, although I've flagged this comment as containing a spoiler (first time I've used this function), the denouement makes clear that the many dozens--hundreds even! --of people involved in this project, are guilty of quite cruel hypocrisy--they are engaging in precisely the behavior that they claim to be helping to punish--and are part of a spectacle that is as ironic as can be imagined.

For this reason I've rated this episode fairly highly, although I don't believe the interests of verisimilitude have been served. I don't believe--and certainly don't want to believe-that any significant number of people could be so heartless, so utterly devoid of human empathy.

Oh. My. God

[savinainenpihla · 10/10 · 9 May 2021]

That twist at the end was something..

Sure I understand the complaint that this episode is just a woman screaming and running around for 40 minutes but it's the point. The episode put us in the shoes of Victoria, confused and scared of what is happening and in the end, one of the best plot twists ever happens.

Not that good

[seronjaa-797-313124 · 6/10 · 25 January 2018]

The logic behind this episode is what makes it bad. it also seems like it's been done to be liked by the public. people always loved seing someone get publicly punished for their crimes (public hangings,witch burings and so on). but here, there is no justice. eternal suffering for something you don't remember doing makes no sense at all. black mirror episodes always show something over the top, but realistic. something that makes sense for humans to do. but this episode seemes like 2 stones guys had an idea- what if.... and made a black mirror episode out of it.

When does justice become hypocrisy?

[jonnyrottenappleseed · 10/10 · 25 October 2018]

When is enough truly enough? The crime chosen is the most horrendous they could think of. This way we as a society can sit back and say this is what happens to a for doing something like that, but aren't they doing the same thing?

Another stab at the way our justice system is breaking. Some people will see this as fitting for the crime. Isn't that what is truly horrific about the episode anyways, that someone would actually think this is what justice is?

Justice aims to right a wrong whereas revenge simply aims to get even...this goes so far as to not only get even but torture. Its okay though, buy your ticket and join the mob.

Making the punishment fit the crime...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 14 February 2018]

A young woman awakens to find herself totally confused. She can't remember who she is and is amazed to see people chasing after her with weapons and they are trying to kill her. To make it all very surreal, there are LOTS of other people standing about with their smartphones videotaping the procedings. It seems that she's the prey in some strange game and the results are deadly. But what does it all mean??

As usual, this episode of "Black Mirror" looks at modern technology and possible technology of the near future to propose how it might be abused. In this case, a woman is being horribly tormented and chased in something that is reminiscent of "The Jerry Springer Show" and a hunting show! Very thought provoking, I am a bit reticent to strongly recommend it because it becomes almost like torture porn watching the show. A bit too disturbing and vivid for many.

A terrible episode... on purpose?

[ljdoherty · 8/10 · 8 June 2020]

To be completely honest, the first thirty minutes of this episode are really terrible. As in if this episode didn't have such a good ending, it would legitamitely the worst episode of the show. But the twist at the end actually kind of saves it, as well as contextulises Michael Smiley's cheese and ham performance into something a little more interesting. Not a favourite of mine, personally because even on rewatches where you know what is going on, it's still a slog to get through, but the last fifteen minutes are gold.

Plothole

[lpvcoelho-94048 · 7/10 · 12 July 2020]

Black Mirror is known for making the viewer feel uncomfortable with the story. This episode, however, pushes suspension of disbelief too far in order to provoke that feeling; the woman doesn't remember who she was, and she's portrayed as a rather likeable person. This gives the "punishment show" a whole new connotation, since she's a completely different person from the one that committed the crime. And that's just ignored by the screenplay.

White Unbearable

[explodingmachine · 1/10 · 19 December 2020]

Imagine trying to read a great novel while the most annoying song you've ever heard is playing on repeat in the background the entire time. That's what you will experience with this episode.

The concept of this episode is brilliant, but the annoying, obnoxious main character ruins the experience and makes this one of the worst episodes in the history of television. She screams and whines almost non-stop for the entire 42 minutes. I wish I were exaggerating, but it really is that intolerable. After the first 10 minutes, I found myself clicking the 'mute' button on and off every few seconds, because I couldn't take it anymore.

this is magic

[interisah · 10/10 · 13 January 2021]

I have watched almost all the Black Mirror episodes but this one is a masterpiece

after every episode i go with many thoughts about the purpose of the film , this one have many cruel views about our society

how can people be cruel , how can people never forget your faults even you regret it and forgot about it as well