I wrote this in March 2020, right around the time everyone was hyped on interactive film.
Rhythm is the most underrated pillar of storytelling.
Interactive film (like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) breaks the one thing that makes cinema work — you surrender to someone else's rhythm. The moment you're asked to choose, you're multitasking: "when's the next decision?", "what if I picked the other one?", "where's the remote?"
You're in your own head instead of in the story.
The 2025 version of this problem
Every AI tool now wants to make storytelling "interactive" and "personalised." But the best stories aren't choose-your-own-adventure. They're a dance where the filmmaker leads and you follow. That's where the magic is.
Prove to me how your finger as a filmmaker can guide me to enlightenment — don't hand me the remote and call it innovation.
The tools have gotten infinitely better at generating narrative. But the lesson is the same: the power of story is in the surrender. The moment you give the audience control, you lose the thing that made them care in the first place.