One Of Black Mirror Season 7's Most-Visually Stunning Moments Didn't Use CGI

In a world where technology, and especially AI, is rapidly taking over these days, it's always a pleasure to see when some grand visual achievement in a film or TV show is done by people (and practical effects) rather than CGI. And who would've thought the series that's primarily about sci-fi and future technology could pull off a stunt like that in its seventh season with aplomb? The "Black Mirror" episode 'Eulogy' is likely the most heartfelt, endearing, and human story in the latest batch of six episodes. It's practically a one-man show that leans heavily on Paul Giamatti's captivating charisma and emotional range to tell a ballad of love, grief, and regret.

Giamatti plays Phillip, a middle-aged American man who's notified by a tech company called Eulogy that a long-lost love of his, Carol (Hazel Monaghan), has recently passed away. Though their relationship ended decades ago, the news hits the old guy way harder than he expects. Phillip is asked whether he's willing to contribute his memories and old photographs of Carol to the memorial her family is trying to put together for the funeral. Though reluctantly, he eventually accepts the request. Soon after, he's sent a kit with a device that makes it possible to virtually access and "step into" photographs to explore their content firsthand. Also provided with the voice of an AI guide (Patsy Ferran), he dives into the trip down memory lane that gradually reveals bittersweet and painful memories of their fraught yet passionate romance that perhaps meant more to Phillip than he'd like to admit.

"Eulogy" is easily the most memorable episode of "Black Mirror's" season 7, and besides Giamatti's powerful and moving performance, it's because the trick it offers is actually a collaboration of real people rather than special effects. In an interview with Gold Derby, the actor revealed that the individuals Phillip encounters inside the photographs are actual people (professional dancers and mimes) who could all freeze, maintaining a motionless position for the length of each take. According to him, it was quite a complicated process "going 2D to 3D," but they pulled it off magnificently. He said,

None of it is CGI. They're all actual people standing there just frozen. We did a lot of actual work with them so they could stage that, so it was very tricky. They also had to find a guy who looked like me because they weren't going to de-age me. They want to do as little digital stuff as possible, which I thought was great.

Giamatti also added that the actress, who was "the voice in his head" while immersed in the images, was present during the shooting, sitting in the corner, which made him feel less alone in the scenes. He said, "A lot of actors wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have expected anything else from her, but it was great to have her there, so it was never like I was alone. I had not quite realized how much I was alone in it. But once we did it, it didn't feel like that at all."

The final result speaks for itself: "Eulogy" often feels like a well-thought-out and emotionally layered indie drama that could've easily been a full-length feature screened in cinemas rather than "just an episode" in an anthology series. Regardless, it's definitely worth seeing for both "Black Mirror" and Paul Giamatti fans.