DERREN BROWN: SACRIFICE: Never Quite Spectacular But Entertaining Nonetheless

For the last ten years British mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown has been creating unique television events, each focused on a new social experiment. In these special shows Brown takes one member of the public on a journey, asking them to complete tasks a million miles outside of their usual comfort zone. In the process they are given the opportunity to reassess their lives, feelings or actions.

Brown has formed a recent partnership with Netflix, allowing viewers across the world the chance to see his shows, including 2016’s The Push where he attempted to convince a member of the public to push someone else off the roof of a building. His newest social experiment, Sacrifice, is also a Netflix exclusive. It has a very simple, very effective hook: will a member of the public be willing to take a bullet for a complete stranger?

Perfect Host, Perfect Candidate

This time the show focuses on Phil, an American who has strongly held beliefs about immigration in the US. Brown and his crew of over 100 people craft an intricate tale and a detailed world, in order to lead Phil, they hope, to risk his life for not only a stranger, but a Mexican immigrant. Phil believes he is part of a documentary following subjects of a beta testing experiment for a new microchip. He is under the belief that this new biotechnology can help improve a person’s life, and, crucially for the show, make them more decisive.

Throughout the fifty minute runtime, Brown attempts to test Phil’s fearlessness and empathy, building him up, unwittingly, to the final confrontation. Phil is asked to jump into a quarry of freezing water for example, directly confronting his biggest fears of heights and open water. These moments are interesting but never particularly gripping. The main intrigue of the premise really comes from the finale, and everything up to that point unfortunately feels a little lacklustre.

Thankfully, Brown is the perfect host, with over a decade of experience conducting social experiments such as this one in the UK already. He has always been able to captivate audiences with his showmanship, even if the quality of the content doesn’t quite match his ability. He strikes a more serious tone in his television work, leaving the more playful comedic side to his stage shows. This approach works for these social experiments, and as he drops in and out of Sacrifice, weaving the narrative together, he manages to build anticipation and the gravity of the situation.

“In these aggressively divided times, where we so readily define ourselves by our tribal identities, I want to try and create a hero”

In Brown’s interview with Film Inquiry, he mentioned that he didn’t want the show to be political. On the face of it, this seems somewhat strange considering the show consists of Brown essentially attempting to convince a prejudiced American man to take a bullet for a supposed illegal immigrant. As the show progresses, though, Brown focuses on steering the narrative towards the themes he wants to emphasise, such as humanity and kindness, rather than politics. He is partly successful in this attempt.

Phil and his views are not demonised by Brown, who himself does not push any specific political agenda. The only thing he does push is the need for some humanity amongst it all. It’s an interesting take; however, sadly, given the current state of affairs, audiences will be quick to latch onto the perceived politics of the show more so than anything else.

Derren Brown: Sacrifice: Playing in a Bigger Sandbox

Although what comes before it might be a little disappointing, the finale itself makes the project a success. The last twenty minutes or so are dedicated to this elaborate last twist by Brown. With Netflix’s backing, Brown is able to introduce perhaps the biggest setpiece he’s ever crafted, although he still manages to keep the story grounded on a very personal level. Brown is allowed to play in a bigger sandbox here, but he’s smart enough to know that big explosions and fireworks aren’t going to make up for a lack of story. The best use of the new scale is probably simply the multiple hidden cameras in each set, giving the editors a plethora of tape from which to work with in order to craft the most suspenseful ending possible.

No matter what the subject matter, Brown’s social experiments are always must-see television, simply because there is nothing else out there like them. Brown has crafted his own little niche, which he exploits perfectly with each new tantalising hook. Sacrifice is not as strong as Brown’s other work, particularly his fascinating previous effort The Push, but it’s still bound to get people talking.

Are you a fan of Derren Brown’s unique social experiments? Let us know in the comments below.

Derren Brown: Sacrifice is on Netflix now.