Ex Machina is a 2014 sci-fi psychological thriller written and directed by Alex Garland.
Caleb wins a contest that allows him to travel to a remote place lost in the mountains to meet Nathan, the billionaire owner of the technology company where he works, and participate as analyst in a secret test to determine if Nathan's next ambitious project, robots with artificial intelligence, is really intelligent and able to make him forget that it is not human, something that will be complicated when he discovers that Nathan not only put a name to his creation, but has provided it with an attractive female appearance.
Ex Machina is a psychological thriller where the open and natural space of the mountains is transformed into a claustrophobic scenario due to the inaccessibility of the place, which has a helicopter as the door of access and exit, and where the tranquility and beauty of nature contrasts with the closed spaces of the house where most of the events take place, doors that are automatically locked, telephones without permitted use in an environment of confidentiality, cameras that generate a condition of vigilance and monitoring that transmit the sensation of being constantly observed, windowless rooms in a subway space with dim lighting, where the only options for communication are the boss and a robot, and where what is not said, because one does not want to or cannot, is of vital importance. A cocktail of elements that alters the protagonist's perception of reality and makes the viewer doubt and question what happens on screen. Who is really put to the test?
A minimalist set design, a balanced combination of coldness and warmth, an acceptable use of mystery and intrigue, as well as turning the characterization of the characters into an element that adds more layers to the discussion, it is not only about machines, their condition and intelligence, but the director also proposes a vision about the dynamics between men and women.
Most of the hour and forty-eight minutes of the film the plot advances through dialogue, however, with subtle and sometimes not so subtle visual details also let us know what is going on in the minds of the characters.
We see Domhnall Gleeson as a timid and intellectual programmer, Oscar Isaac as an unscrupulous eccentric genius and informal boss, Alicia Vikander as a curious and innocent robot, accompanied by the silent beauty Sonoya Mizuno.
A modest but interesting film that I think every sci-fi lover should see.
Let me know in the comments what you think of the film, and if you haven't seen it yet, let me know if you'd be interested in seeing it or why you'd rather see something else.
A black comedy that mixes cartoon characters and real actors, starring Brad Pitt and Kim Basinger.
A crime drama written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.