Ex Machina

Synopsis: Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition to spend a week with his boss, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the head of a gigantic technology company. On arriving at the retreat, Nathan offers him a choice: they can drink all week or Caleb can sign a non-disclosure agreement and see something really cool: a robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander) that Caleb must decide is sentient or not.

When I was young I used to think that posing interesting questions was a great demonstration of intellect. How deep it was to ask penetrating questions about the nature of things. Not to answer them of course but to show that I knew there were questions. I grew up. Now I think finding answers is far more impressive and intellectually satisfying. So I’m not convinced this film is as smart as it would like you to think it is. It poses a lot of questions and leaves you asking  more. But I don’t know if I can say it’s a film that relies on the intelligence of its audience to fill in the gaps or if it’s just a sulky kid trying to appear smart. I really struggled with this film. I liked it quite a bit, and that’s reflected in the four stars, but it’s also deeply problematic on a number of levels. So let’s just say it’s worth seeing, and leave it at that…

...or let’s not. (Don’t keep reading if you don’t want things spoiled).

Here’s my dilemma. Nathan is a mad genius trying to create a true AI. Why? The film suggests an answer early on, he’s an egomaniac who wants to be known as the god of the modern age: the creator of the next form of life to inhabit the planet. So far, so good. Enter Caleb, a stooge he’s brought in to see if he can be duped by his handiwork. But he’s stacked the deck. We learn that Ava’s form was designed based on Caleb’s porn searches. Caleb himself is a loner, more likely to be willing to project emotion onto something than to build a sense of intimacy and Nathan selected him especially for this test. And Nathan bullies him and Ava relentlessly, to push Caleb into feeling that Ava is a damsel in need of rescuing. For a man who is attempting to see if an AI can manipulate a human using social engineering techniques, he’s definitely making it easy. I suppose given that he has his prototypes either locked away in a closet or reprogrammed as a sex-slave, he’s more insane than idealistic, but still. The whole point of the film is that Nathan wants to put Ava through a maze to see if she’s intelligent enough to outwit a human. Feeding a stooge into this doesn’t make much sense. When so much of Caleb and Nathan’s interaction seems to focus on various questions around the nature of intelligence, sentience, and other questions that plague the concept of AI, there’s a disconnect.

One part of the film is asking interesting questions about the whole endeavour, the other is a test rigged with extrinsic factors designed to lead to Caleb wanting to free Ava. Rather than her manipulating him, it seems like Nathan is more the force here. Given his fury at being tricked near the end of the film, the whole situation doesn’t quite make sense. Or maybe I’m missing something. That’s the trouble, it’s either a very clever film, or just clever enough to make you wonder if those flaws you see are really flaws. I lean towards it failing to make sense but I’m willing to be shown the error of my ways.

Because despite the seeming flaws there are some genuinely brilliant moments to be found. As Caleb talks to Ava, he starts to question his own life. Is he just another android that’s part of Nathan’s perverse games? There is a great scene of Caleb cutting himself, needing reassurance that he’s human. I don’t think it’s set up enough to feel like a solid payoff, but it’s still a great scene. And there are other great ideas scattered throughout. Plus there’s a bizarre dance sequence. And each of the three leads is excellent in their own distinct ways. Plus, Ex Machina is easily the most uncomfortable deconstruction of “the male gaze” I’ve ever seen. It’s imagery is pervy in a very deliberate, disturbing way. Some have criticised it for this, and I can’t disagree but I thought it was also a very interesting approach to take to the material.

Ex Machina is part classic noir with a femme fatale, a victim and a villain but it’s also got a lot of good science fiction concepts in play. It’s troubling, but also interesting and thoughtful, I can’t decide if I like it, but I’m still thinking about it. Maybe posing questions can still be a worthwhile exercise after all.

 

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