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Netflix’s new series, The OA, is shrouded in mystery, but the key to figuring out what it means may lie in its Instagram layout.
After Netflix tweeted out the link to the trailer, it also referred people to the show’s Instagram account, which uses a series of boxes to create a photo. Think of it like a puzzle, actually. Each photo individually doesn’t do much, but together, it creates a stunning — and large — image, which seems to tell a story. In 2015, Rick and Morty did something similar, but created an entire game through the use of Instagram boxes.
The only thing that Netflix has released about this series is that it follows the supernatural and asks the audience to believe in the unknown. Going even one step further, it asks that viewers trust the unknown. According to the official description of the show on Netflix’s YouTube page, The OA is a “powerful, mind-bending tale about identity, human connection and the borders between life and death.”
Through Instagram, however, there are some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that can be put together. For example, a daughter will play a big role in the series — and based on the trailer, it seems like she’ll be the person who’s possessed. There are a few other sci-fi looking scenes that can be spotted, but it’s hard to tell exactly what those are.
Most interesting, however, are the videos that appear on the Instagram account. Each one seems to give off a subtle clue as to what the show could be about and where it’s heading. There are only a couple on the page, which contains 108 posts in total, but all of them are worth checking out.
If you’re looking for something to fill the Westworld-shaped hole in your heart, The OA may be something to keep your mind preoccupied until HBO’s new hit series returns in 2018.
All eight episodes of The OA, which was created by the team behind the 2013 film The East, will be available to stream on Dec. 16. The photos collected below are just a few examples of how Instagram’s layout is being used to tell a story.
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