Ex Machina

About Ex Machina

Ex Machina, released in 2015, is a science fiction psychological thriller movie written and directed by Alex Garland. This thought-provoking film probes questions about the nature of creation, consciousness and morality against the backdrop of artificial intelligence.

The plot follows Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at a large internet company, who wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), the reclusive CEO of the company. Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that he is to be the human component in a Turing Test to determine the capabilities and consciousness of Ava (Alicia Vikander), a seemingly sentient being.

Making / Production

Ex Machina was the directing debut of Alex Garland. The film was shot in Norway in the summer of 2014. It was produced by DNA Films and Film4.

Actors

• Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb Smith. His portrayal of a keen, empathetic young programmer is impressive and authentic.
• Oscar Isaac as Nathan Bateman. Isaac skillfully plays the brilliant, yet eccentric and intimidating CEO of the company.
• Alicia Vikander as Ava. Vikander’s performance gives Ava an unsettling blend of human-like and machine-like features.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The name 'Ex Machina' is a part of a longer Latin phrase 'deus ex machina' meaning 'god from the machine'
• Alicia Vikander is actually a trained ballerina, which helped her play the role of Ava more convincingly

Awards

The film was an unwavering success and was recognized with the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and several other nominations including Best Original Screenplay.

Quotes

• "Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?" - Ava
• "One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa" - Nathan

Music, Soundtrack

• The soundtrack of Ex Machina was composed by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, providing a eerie and suspenseful backdrop to the movie.
• The soundtrack includes tunes like "Ava", "Falling", and "The Turing Test".