Ex Machina
2015
****
Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Sonoya Mizuno, Oscar Isaac
Nathan, the eccentric CEO of Bluebook, invites a talented programmer named Caleb to carry out a Turing test on an android named Ava to assess whether she passes as human. However, things are not as they appear, but who is playing who? Is Caleb playing Ava, Ava playing Caleb, or Nathan playing them both? Alex Garland's directorial debut is a stylish psychological science fiction film which owes a great thematic debt to the likes of A.I. and Blade Runner. This may not be the most original work in its genre, but it deals with some interesting ideas, and the central performances are great. Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects.
