Branching Out

Lynn Renee Maxcy, the writer of new interactive film The Complex, explains why “Bandersnatch” was a gift

- Lynn Renee Maxcy

UPON FIRST GLANCE, THE SCENE THAT director Paul Raschid is shooting today seems like a fairly ordinary one. A scientist called Amy, played by Michelle Mylett, has been called to the site of an apparent outbreak, and is inspecting a bio-protector pod containing Patient Zero. As usual, the scene will be shot several times over, from different angles. But the twist is that it will also be re-shot with different dialogue, reactions and endings too.

“You are effectively showing different sides of the same character,” says Mylett. “It’s a pretty good acting exercise.”

This is The Complex, a new interactive film in which the fate of the world will be decided by your choices. The obvious comparison is Charlie Brooker’s interactive Black Mirror special “Bandersnatch”. But according to writer Lynn Renee Maxcy, best known for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale, The Complex was in development way before that episode premiered on Netflix.