San Junipero

A simulated beach town where the elderly visit as their younger selves and the deceased can live forever together.

San Junipero is the fourth episode of Black Mirror's third series, written by creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Owen Harris. Premiering on Netflix on 21 October 2016, it introduced a beach resort town acting as a simulated reality for the elderly and deceased. Unlike previous entries focusing on technology's dark side, this story centers on an optimistic ending for a lesbian couple: Yorkie, who has been paralyzed and comatose since age 21, and Kelly, a widow visiting from the physical world. The episode was the first script written for the series, initially drafted with a heterosexual couple and an unhappy conclusion before Brooker changed it to explore same-sex marriage in 1987.

Quick Facts

Series: Black Mirror
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Director: Owen Harris
Photographer: Gustav Danielsson
Editor: Nicolas Chaudeurge
Length: 61 minutes
Released: 21 October 2016

Lore & Background

San Junipero operates as a digital sanctuary where users inhabit younger versions of themselves during time periods of their choice. The simulation allows the living to test the waters before death, while the deceased can reside permanently. Yorkie's backstory reveals she was paralyzed at 21 after crashing her car when her parents reacted negatively to her coming out; she has remained in a coma for 40 years in Santa Rosa, California. To join Kelly permanently, Yorkie intends to marry Greg, her nurse, so he can consent to her euthanasia, though Kelly ultimately authorizes the procedure by marrying Yorkie first. The setting shifts through decades, featuring specific details like arcade games Time Crisis and The House of the Dead, which hint at the plot's twist regarding death and consciousness.

Reader's Guide

Visitors experience San Junipero through a specific set of rules established by Charlie Brooker's script. The simulation relies on nostalgia therapy, immersing users in music and fashion from their youth, specifically 1987 for much of the narrative. Music plays a critical role; the soundtrack interweaves original scores by Clint Mansell with licensed tracks like Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and The Smiths' "Girlfriend in a Coma," though one Prince song could not be cleared. Filming occurred over several weeks in London and Cape Town. Brooker noted that the twist ending, featuring a bank of computer servers with flashing lights, was inspired by hearing the title track while writing. The episode stands apart from the series' usual tone, with Brooker stating he changed it to prove uplifting Black Mirror episodes are possible.

Did You Know?

Brooker wrote the script in four days, but the final scene showing computer servers was inspired by hearing "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" off a streaming playlist while writing.
A draft included a scene where Kelly visits a kindergarten full of children who had died, but it was removed because it was deemed too sad and poignant for the story.
Director Owen Harris chose 1987 "fairly arbitrarily," though he specifically noted very specific movie posters in the script to establish the era.
Every song in the soundtrack was successfully cleared for roughly 15 years except for one track by Prince.